Breathe in, Breathe out
by Stir-OF-Echoes8877
Summary: **Chapters Edited. I'm going through all the chapters one by one, altering the story a bit. If you want to read what's new, feel free.
1. Chapter 1: Painful Welcoming

******Disclaimer : Okay, I do not—I REPEAT—_do not _own South of Nowhere. Though I have wanted to be left alone in a dark room with some of the actresses, I have no ownage of them.**

**Author's Note: Yippie, the first chapter. This is exciting and strangely terrifiying sharing this with you guys. Enjoy :)**

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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Breathe In, Breathe Out**

**Chapter One : Painful Welcome**

"Fan-fucking-tastic."

Ashley Davies stared out the window of her Mom's black limo, seeing the familiar entrance to King High School.

"Language, Ashley," Her mother scolds, continuing to talk to a client on her cellphone.

Ashley rolled her eyes.

Still glaring at the students staring at their car like they were some freak show, Ashley was fighting the urge to give them the finger. Hadn't these kids seen a damn limo before? She really thought she was going to die coming back here. After her mom had told her they were moving back, she'd been so angry. The last thing she ever wanted was to come back to this stupid town, swearing to herself that she'd never have to the day she left. That was three years ago. Though she was only fourteen at the time, Ashley hadn't been too shaken up to leave her home town. It was quite the opposite really...but Ashley blocked out that part of her life a long time ago, and she wasn't going to revisit it anytime soon. Glancing around, she was pretty sure nearly all of her peers in her seventh grade class still lived in Columbus after all this time. Figures, it's Ohio for god's sake.

This had switched on a light in her brain, and a person she'd wish she could've just forgotten came crashing in again. A person who may or may not still lived here as well. In that moment, Ashley felt like all the air inside the limo at rushed into her chest. She hunches herself over, catching her breath.

"Oh, god, I'm gonna puke." Swallowing hard, she slowly composed herself a few minutes later. Looking up at her mom, at the other end of the limo, Ashley noticed she was still talking on her cellphone.

"No, don't change our account right now. Dammit, Rick, I'll call you later." Christine sighed, looking up to smile warily at her daughter. Ashley managed a small smile, her eyes pleading out to her mother who just shook her head.

"Honey, I know your mad about this," She whispers, sliding down the smooth leather to sit beside her daughter. "And that this place doesn't hold good memories for you anymore...but it was our only option at the time. After what happened at your school, we couldn't stay in L.A. anymore. You know that."

Ashley exhaled slowly, clenching her tiny fists in her lap. "I just—I just didn't think I'd have to ever come back. I left this place behind, Mom. I finally moved on, and now..." I decided it best to stop there, already saying too much.

"No, you talk to me," Mom had ordered, much too harshly than she intended it to be.

Honestly, she wouldn't blame her. Ashley never talked about why she was so determined to leave everything behind when they left. Since then, her and her mom weren't the same. Ashley had kept so many secrets from her mother that she just blocked herself off. A big part of Ashley was broken, and her mom and Kyla watched helplessly on the sidelines. The brunette's eyes slam shut, forcing the words out. If she wanted to talk, then they'd talk.

"I'm angry that you took me away, away from JayJay and Aiden," She whispered through clenched teeth. "After I left, I thought I'd never make new friends again, but I _did_. I met those amazing people, and you took me away from them. Don't you get it? This place was my _hell_, mother, and you brought me back to it."

Ashley stared into her mother's tear filled eyes, fighting not to cry herself.

Christine clears her throat then, lowering her eyes in defeat. "I'm so sorry, Ashley. I was doing what I thought was best for my daughter. I was just trying to protect my little girl."

Ashley shakes her head, guilt dropping heavy in the pit of her stomach. She shifts forward, facing her mother, and taking her hands. "I know, Mom, I'm sorry...I just need some time okay, to adjust to everything. I just need time."

Christine nods, lifting up their interlocked fingers to kiss Ashley's hand. In turn, her daughter kissed her forehead gently, whispering how much she loved her mother into her ear before pulling back.

"Things will be better, I promise," Christine tells her daughter, before handing over her book bag. "Here, you don't want to be late on your first day. Oh, and your sister is coming down soon, so you definitely won't be alone here."

Christine smiles, absently patting Ashley on her bruised shoulder from when she tripped on her bags earlier. The young girl winced as she opened the door and stepped outside.

"She better be, I haven't seen her in like 2 months," She mutters, turning back to talk to her mother inside the limo. "Mom, what if the friends I had before I moved want nothing to do with me? I mean, what if I can't—"

Christine's hand reaches out, covering Ashley's mouth. "You'll be fine. You have a natural kindness that people adore, and a spunky sass that people can't argue with. If you come across them, they should welcome you with open arms if they're your true friends. Okay?"

Ashley nodded, leaning in to hug her mother. "I gotta go now, I love you."

"Love you too, sweetie," Christine whispered, kissing her cheek.

Ashley steps away, closing the limp door, and waved goodbye to her mother before watching the limo soon disappearing down the busy street. Now all alone, she walks up the familiar steps of King High, ignoring the mob of curious glances and glares following her every move.

_..._

The stares only increased once she actually stepped foot in the colossal building, which Ashley expected. Being the daughter of the late Raife Davies, she was used to being stared at. But here, in her home town, it felt different than when she was in Los Angeles. Even so, she soldiered on down the endless hallways of the school in search of the locker that belonged to the number scribbled onto the piece of paper in her hands.

Approaching the general direction Ashley figured my locker was located, she started to feel herself getting bumped and pushed a lot more than the normal traffic in High School. At one point, she was even knocked into the wall, and most recent, her shoulder slamming into a set of lockers. These weren't accidental at all, she had obviously pieced together from the first body check she'd received earlier. This was backlash for being famous apparently, which annoyed her to no end because she wasn't really famous. Her dad was, not her.

Ashley rolled her eyes, gripping tighter to the strap of her book bag around her shoulders as the hallways started to empty. When she's being pushed forward a few minutes later, her anger gets the best of her. Prepared to put her sloppy fighting skills to good use, she turns around to see who pushed her. Instead, her eyes widen, seeing a hard, fast moving object swing into her field of vision. And before she could figure out what it was, Ashley found herself falling flat on her back against the cold tile.

Holding her face in pain, Ashley bites back a scream.

"Son of a bitch," She hissed from underneath her shaking hands. Her fingers lowered to touch the line of blood coming from her nose as Ashley's eyes start to flutter incoherently.

Just seconds later, her vision starts to get blurred around the edges just as a figure hovered over her. Ashley's eyes rolled back into her head then, and everything goes black.

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**END of CHAPTER**

**If you'll just hold your horses, Spencer will be making her appearance known shortly.**

**R&R. Please?**


	2. Chapter 2 : Impossible

**Disclaimer : I Don't Own South of Nowhere...but I wish I did. :(**

**Previously: **_Ashley rolled her eyes, gripping tighter to the strap of her book bag around her shoulders as the hallways started to empty. When she's being pushed forward a few minutes later, her anger gets the best of her. Prepared to put her sloppy fighting skills to good use, she turns around to see who pushed her. Instead, her eyes widen, seeing a hard, fast moving object swing into her field of vision. And before she could figure out what it was, Ashley found herself falling flat on her back against the cold tile._

_Holding her face in pain, Ashley bites back a scream._

_"Son of a bitch," She hissed from underneath her shaking hands. Her fingers lowered to touch the line of blood coming from her nose as Ashley's eyes start to flutter incoherently._

_Just seconds later, her vision starts to get blurred around the edges just as a figure hovered over her. Ashley's eyes rolled back into her head then, and everything goes black._

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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Chapter Two : Impossible**

In the darkness, Ashley could hear a muffled voice talking.

That's when her eyes started flickering open, irritated by a bright light. She groaned, her arm feeling like it weighed twenty pounds when she lifted it to her sore face. Slowly focusing in on the person talking above her, all Ashley's eyes could make out was a blurry outline before the darkness enveloped her once more.

...

The next time she awoke, she was laying down on a bed, in what she assumed was the nurses office.

Ashley groaned, finding it very painful just to sit up in the cot she had been placed on. A whimper leaves Ashley's lips, hands cradling her bruised forehead. My fingers catch my reddened bangs and pulled them over the bruise to make it less noticeable. She couldn't believe it, getting sent to the nurse on her first day. It was like fate was mocking her. First, moving her family back home, and now getting hit in the face with a locker her first day back. It was just mean.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" An older woman asks, stepping into the room. From her scrubs, she's obviously the school nurse. "You took quite a spill outside."

Ashley swung her legs off to hang over the edge of the bed, instantly burying her head into her hands. "Ugh, too fast..."

The nurse chuckles, sliding a stool in front of me, and sat down. "Yeah, getting clocked by a locker does that."

"How long have I been out?" Ashley asked, and the nurse checks her watch.

"As of now, about 38 minutes," She informs me, reaching over to examine my forehead. Then, she takes out a small flashlight, flashing it across my eyes. "You nearly gave the poor freshman who conked you a heart attack, you know. Josh actually thought he killed you."

I smiled a little.

The nurse shifts in her seat, eyeing me intently. "Sweetheart, what is your name?"

"Ashley," I breathed out, dizzily. Her eyes catch the nurses, attempting to smile. "Ashley Davies. I-I'm new."

"Well, Ashley Davies, you must have really great karma," She teased, putting away her flashlight. "Now, I'm gonna send you to class now, but if you're too weak—"

"No, it's okay," The girl interrupts, shaking her head.

Ashley's soon scrambling to her feet, instantly losing her balance. Holding onto the nurses shoulder for support, she slowly regained herself and picked up her bag. She waves goodbye to the nurse, and took hesitant steps out of the office. She wasn't sure if she was out of the woods yet when it came to fainting, but just in case, she didn't want to be too far from the nurse if it happens.

After a couple of minutes walking aimlessly inside the vacant hallways, Ashley starts to get a little annoyed that she hasn't found her first period yet. It had only minutes left until second period would start, but Ashley thought it best to check in and explain her absence just in case.

She crept silently up to one of the classrooms lining the hallways, peering in unnoticed through the tiny window. Seeing nothing special, she kept walking until she spotted the classroom she had been searching for.

"Finally," She whispers, making her way towards the closed door.

Just as she touched the cold door nob, the bell rings, signaling the end of the period. Ashley snaps her arm down, moving aside from the rushing students pooling in from every direction into the hallways. Waiting silently against a wall so she wouldn't get trampled again, Ashley started to get lost in her thoughts for a few seconds thinking of past memories.

Smiling, Ashley turns just in time to glimpse a brown haired girl gliding past her, and disappearing into the crowd of students. The air is whipped, shuffling a familiar scent through Ashley's nose. Chocolate eyes closed, inhaling the delicious scent.

_God, she smelled __good_, Ashley thinks to herself, before her eyes snapped open in realization. _Wait. I remember that smell._

Lips parted, whispering the name she hadn't spoke of in years.

"Spencer."

Ashley's eyes scanned the remaining students, spotting the brown haired girl at the end of the hallway. She notices the girl's steps slowing slightly, as if thinking if she should turn around. But after a minute, her pace quickens again until she rounds the corner and erases herself from view.

_It couldn't be her. Could it?_ Ashley shakes the hopeful thoughts from her head, willing her legs to life again.

After staying glued to the same spot she stood for what seemed like an hour, Ashley walks away in search for her second period class thinking about the girl who smelled like vanilla and strawberries.

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**Don't let the mystery girl's brown hair fool you. ;)**

**R&R please!**


	3. Chap 3: Tears are Contagious

**Disclaimer still stands.**

**Previously****: **_Smiling, Ashley turns just in time to glimpse a brown haired girl gliding past her, and disappearing into the crowd of students. The air is whipped, shuffling a familiar scent through Ashley's nose. Chocolate eyes closed, inhaling the delicious scent._

_God, she smelled good, Ashley thinks to herself, before her eyes snapped open in realization. Wait. I remember that smell._

_Lips parted, whispering the name she hadn't spoke of in years._

_"Spencer."_

_Ashley's eyes scanned the remaining students, spotting the brown haired girl at the end of the hallway. She notices the girl's steps slowing slightly, as if thinking if she should turn around. But after a minute, her pace quickens again until she rounds the corner and erases herself from view._

_It couldn't be her. Could it? Ashley shakes the hopeful thoughts from her head, willing her legs to life again._

_After staying glued to the same spot she stood for what seemed like an hour, Ashley walks away in search for her second period class thinking about the girl who smelled like vanilla and strawberries._

**Author's Note: Still just Ashley in this chapter. But don't worry, Spencer will come soon enough. *****coughcough*nextchapter*cough* what? ;)**

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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Chapter Three : Tears Are Contagious**

All throughout the morning, Ashley couldn't let herself forget what happened earlier...

Who she smelt, and saw—or at least, thought she did.

The odds of it being the girl she thought it would be, were pretty stacked. The first reason being, that if it was_ her_, they would both be Juniors and bound to see each other sooner or later. Ashley hated the part of herself that hoped it was Spencer, she really did. No matter how much she wanted to erase that part of her life, it'd still be there in the back of her head. _She'd_ still be there.

The next three hours flew by before she could blink, and it was now fifth period; Lunch time.

Glowering at every single person who shot a glance her way, Ashley grabbed her plate and trudged to an empty table in the far corner. She almost smiled at the chance of closing herself off to the world, even if it was only for an hour. When she had finished her lunch with still over half an hour to kill, Ashley shuffled through her book bag and throws her ipod into her lap.

The device had shuffled itself somewhere during the day, and all the songs were now mixed up. Pushing play, Ashley freezes instantly, hearing the first song on the shuffled playlist.

She smiles then, giving into the nostalgia of the familiar melody and lyrics.

_I'll be your cryin' shoulder  
I'll be loves suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older  
I'll be the greatest fan of your life..._

Her finger rests on the button that would switch to the next song, but can't find the strength to go through with it. Ashley closes her eyes, remembering one of the many memories she thought was locked away forever inside her mind...

_**Flashback : (Ashley POV)**_

_It was a Saturday night, two weeks after Spencer and I started seventh grade. My mom had been out of town that weekend, so I was staying over at Spencer's house until she got back home. Spencer's Mom, Paula, was on call this weekend, so that just left the house to us._

_I remember being quite ecstatic at the idea, and also, nervous, for the obvious reason. Well, obvious to me anyway, because I had kept it a secret for the past ten years. Until a few years ago, I hadn't really realized the feelings I had towards my best friend weren't normal to have. I must've been in complete denial up to that point because looking back on it, I can't see how the feelings that I got every time I looked at Spencer were just platonic. Best friends didn't have weird urges to press their lips against the other, wanting to know what it'd feel like to kiss a girl. And best friends certainly did not literally want to play house with the other when they were grownups. It just didn't work that way. Plus, the fact that I never looked at a boy like I looked at my best friend, a girl, pretty much sealed the deal._

_I was a closet gay girl secretly in love with her best friend. I wasn't ashamed about it, being that I couldn't help the way I felt. I tried so hard to think a boy was cute or pretty, but it didn't work. They still were perverted morons, and most likely would stay that way in my eyes. It was just the secret pining part that had started to hurt. Spencer wasn't like me, or atleast it seemed that way. She even started having crushes on boys, and talking about them with me while I fought the urge to gag. But no matter how much she talked about how cute this boy was, it never reached her eyes. Not one time. So, I knew somewhere in my heart, that everything would work itself out in the future between Spencer and I. I just didn't know if that meant as just friends, or something more than that..._

_..._

_We're sitting on Spencer's couch, watching her favorite Tv show 8 Simple Rules. Honestly, it didn't appeal to me as much, but I wouldn't miss the chance to be alone with Spencer any day of the week._

_She's laughing at something apparently funny, laying her head on my shoulder to stifle herself before she woke the neighbors. I just shook my head with a smile, loving every moment that Spencer broke out of her shyness and let loose. To be honest, I hadn't really payed attention to the TV the whole night. Because most of the time, I had been __stealing quick glances at her. I couldn't help it, it was a habit to me. Just memorizing everything about her face in those few seconds. Her body, her expressions, and definitely those eyes. God, those eyes will be the death of me._

_When Spencer notices me looking at her, I quickly avert my eyes in panic. But as always, I would crack and look up again to see if she was still staring. She was. After that, I began to look in every direction besides Spencer's. __Avoid eye contact, avoid eye contact. __Because if the younger girl was to look into my eyes right now she would be able to see right through me. __One last time, I peeked at the small blonde to my left subtly. But one look at how deep the blue in Spencer's eyes were, I was trapped._

_Spencer broke the connection, blushing slightly, and shifted in her seat. _

_"A-Ashley, quick question?" She asks, fidgeting with her hands._

_I inwardly swoon, hearing Spencer's adorable stutter for the first time in days. It was one of the many things I loved that about her. Though, it mainly only slipped out whenever she's really emotional. Like, being scared or anxious, even excited._

_Ashley's head tilted in concern, noticing the blonde's eyes swimming in tears when she looked finally up._

___She shakes her head at me worried expression, taking in a deep breath. "Ash. Do you think I'm pretty?"_

_I took a double take at her question, eyeing my best friend incredulously._

_"What?"_

___"N-Never mind, it was a stupid question," She stammers, scrambling off the couch._

___Still in thought, I heard Spencer mumble something distantly before bending over to pick up a leftover popcorn bowl to take to the kitchen.__Finally snapping myself out of the shock of the situation, I sprinted after Spencer. I entered the kitchen to see her standing there, elbows resting on the counter top as she faced away from me and stared outside the window above the sink._

_Taking cautious steps, I came to stand across from her, mirroring her posture. ______Spencer's face is flustered, half from embarrassment, the other from the tears brimming her glazed eyes. __Ashley fights a whimper forming on her lips, seeing the other girl crying. Because she knew, if Spencer cried, her own tears would soon follow._

_"Why did you ask me that, Spence?"_

_The girl's jaw stiffens, pursing her lips defiantly._

_"Did Glen tell you weren't pretty? Huh?" I pressed on, feeling myself becoming angry at the thought. "Because if he did, Spence, I swear—"_

_Spencer sucks in a shuddered breath, stopping Ashley's words in her throat. She had guess right, this had been Glen's doing._

_"What did he say?" I asked, completely disbelieving that anyone would ever say something so untrue to her best friend. "Tell me."_

_"He said the reason why nobody's ever liked me...is because I'm ugly, and I'm going to be alone until I die," Spencer murmurs quietly. __"We were fighting, I know he didn't really mean it...but it still hurt, you know?"_

_The second I see Spencer's lip trembling, I surged forward and threw my arms around her. Soon, her shoulders started to rack with quiet sobs, and it wasn't long before I was doing the same. After awhile of just holding each other, I had silently led her back into the living room. Sitting side by side, Spencer rests her head contently against my shoulder again._

_"He's wrong," I whispered suddenly, some form of courage boasting itself in my thoughts. I had continued to stare into the bright television screen when Spencer silently lifted her head to look at me._

_I let myself ignore the fact that her eyes were practically burning into my face._

_"You never answered my question."_

_My fingers tightened their grip on my knee, her reply catching me off guard._

_"Well, no," I admitted simply, attention still on the television. "I don't think your pretty, Spence." _

_Silence._

_My head turns just in time to see the expression on Spencer's face drop dramatically. I expected this from my intentional comment, but it still killed me to know that I hurt her like that. On purpose. When I feel her starting to inch away from me, my hand reaches out to grasp her arm._

_"Wait, just listen to me."_

_I quickly put my hand on her chin bringing her head up. "I don't think your pretty, Spencer. Because your way more than that to me__. I'm sorry, but it's just natural for me to disagree with you on that."_

_She's staring at me now, mouth opened in disbelief. I laughed, turning myself around on the couch so that I could face her properly._

_"You _are _beautiful," I whispered, tucking a think tendril of blond hair behind her ear. "Whoever says any different is a freaking blind idiot."_

_Her lips curved into a small smile, shaking her head bashfully at my words. "Thanks, but you don't have to—"_

_I rolled my eyes at her obliviousness. "I mean it, Spence. You're my best friend, I wouldn't lie to you."_

_She literally beams at me, and my heart stops. Small arms snake themselves around my neck as Spencer leaned forward to hug me. __I smiled to myself, pulling her tighter against me. _

_"To your face, that is," I muttered, smirking._

_Spencer's hand swats my shoulder, but she doesn't let go of me again until we see Paula's headlights in the driveway._

_**End of flashback :**_

The song ends as Ashley struggled to bite back her emotions.

But when her lips curve a second later, and she smiles, she doesn't see the need to dwell on it any longer. Ashley tosses the ipod back into her bookbag just as the bell signaling sixth period erupts into the cafeteria.

Back to class Ashley.

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**R&R.**


	4. Chap 4: The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

**Disclaimer : South isn't mine. *blah,blah,blah***

**_Previously: _**_The song ends as Ashley struggled to bite back her emotions._

_But when her lips curve a second later, and she smiles, she doesn't see the need to dwell on it any longer. Ashley tosses the ipod back into her book bag just as the bell signaling sixth period erupts into the cafeteria._

_Back to class Ashley._

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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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Chapter Four : The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

Ashley made her way through the crowed halls of King High once again, dashing her way to her sixth period class; Art.

As she walked into the cluttered classroom, Ashley started to get this weird feeling. Like, the kind one would get entering into an elevator that had previously malfunctioned and killed four passengers the previous day. Kind of like that, but less morbid, and she couldn't shake it.

An older man, who she presumes to be the teacher, waves her over to his desk, obviously looking over the look of slight dread flashing across the girl's face. When an a hand touches her shoulder, Ashley abandons her thoughts, and focused on the man's face. She instantly recognized the man to be her seventh grade Art teacher, but an older, bearded version.

"Hello, Ashley, it's nice to see you again," He greets politely, motioning over at a desk in the far corner of the classroom. "Over there's your desk, okay? Now, just stand there while I go get your semester syllabus."

Obeying the teachers wishes, Ashley stood her ground quietly as the class started to fill up with more students she recognized. One of them calls out the teacher's name, Mr. Roberts, and threw some weird free form object into his hands. Once the teacher returns, he handed Ashley a packet of papers and told her she could sit down now. She only nodded, not quite in the mood to talk at the moment. She was still the new girl after all, no one would bother her today.

"Hello again, and welcome to another year here at King High," Mr. Roberts announces, stopping to raise his arms. "In this very cramped, yet stylish, square we call Art class!"

The teacher awaited a reaction from his students, but instead, received only silence.

"Well, don't all clap at once," He adds sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah. I wanna go home too."

I rolled my eyes at his humor, settling down into my desk. Thankfully, all my desks were relatively near the back and no one could really stare at me like they'd been doing all day without getting in trouble by the teacher.

"But first things first," Mr. Roberts says, pointing in my general direction. "Unless you're blind, you've noticed the new sparrow in our birds nest. Class, this little rebel here is Ashley Davies. Don't let the rocker bangs she's got going fool you, she's Ohio bred like the rest of us. Just moved back after what—three years, was it Ashley?"

_Oh, god dammit._ I bite my lip, fighting the urge to groan in annoyance, before answering him with a reluctant nod.

"Well then, Miss Davies, welcome to Art II," He continues, grinning her uneasiness. "Sorry, have to do that with every new student."

...

About 15 minutes into the class, and a few boring lectures over the syllabus later, there was a knock at the door. Looking up from the doodle she had been absently scribbling into the cover of her notebook, Ashley watches as Mr. Roberts opens the door with a loud gasp. She turns the volume down on her ipod, listening in.

"As I live and breathe," He breathed out, stepping halfway into the hall to hug the guest outside. "It's about time you showed up. How's my favorite pupil doing today?"

There's soft laughter outside of the door, which makes Ashley double take for a second, before turning back to her doodle and raising the music's volume again. Mr. Roberts guided the guest into the students view, except for Ashley, who was too entranced in her music to notice.

Curiosity is what made Ashley Davies lift her head again minutes later.

Mr. Roberts was at his desk, talking to a student. Her back was to Ashley, so she couldn't really get a clear look at her face, but she had a pretty good view of the back. The student was tall and slender with long, wavy chocolate brown hair. From her seat, she noted the student was wearing some faded baby blue jeans, a ruffled sleeveless blouse, and black flats. A brown pea coat draped sloppily over a book bag slung over her shoulder, contrasting with the elegance of her outfit. Ashley smiled, admiring the girl's fashion sense.

Minutes had passed, with Ashley still drifting her eyes towards the student every few seconds as Mr. Roberts led her about the room.

"I wonder who she is," She whispers aloud, curiosity beaming.

Mr. Roberts turned to the class then, grinning excitedly, and most likely about to introduce her. A small hand reaches up to her mouth as she shook her head at him, long chocolate waves bouncing. Giving into anticipation, Ashley removed her ear buds to listen.

"Students, your attention please," He calls out, clapping a few times as they quieted down. "There is someone special I want you to meet."

Ashley lent over her bad, unzipping it, and tossing her ipod inside as she listened to him continue to talk.

"Class, this is Spencer. Freshman, she fell in love with my class, and I'm glad she did," He informed them, practically bouncing at the heels. "And this year, she's graced us with her presence once more. I'm looking forward to her giving you amateurs a run for your money."

Ashley's hand hesitates on the zipper of her book bag, hearing a soft, familiar giggle filter over to her ears. "No way."

"Oh, I almost forgot! Spencer, I want to introduce you to our new student Ashley Davies..."

Ashley slowly lifted her head, meeting a familiar pair of shockingly blue, wide eyes staring right at her.

Slamming her eyes shut, and opening them again, she's completely sure she wasn't dreaming this.

Ashley was absolutely, positively sure she knew the girl in front of her.

After all, I'd know those eyes anywhere.

Blue eyes continued to stare into the stunned brown eyes across the room, both girls forgetting how to even breath for a second.

And in that moment, all both of them could think so say was...

"Ashley?"

"Spencer?"

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**R&R.**


	5. Chap 5: To Wish Impossible Things

_**Disclaimer: South of Nowhere isn't mine.**_

_**Previously: **__Ashley lent over her bad, unzipping it, and tossing her ipod inside as she listened to him continue to talk._

_"Class, this is Spencer. Last year, she fell in love with my class, and I'm glad she did," He informed them, practically bouncing at the heels. "And this year, she's graced us with her presence once more. I'm looking forward to her giving you amateurs a run for your money."_

_Ashley's hand hesitates on the zipper of her book bag, hearing a soft, familiar giggle filter over to her ears. "No way."_

_"Oh, I almost forgot! Spencer, I want to introduce you to our new student Ashley Davies..."_

_Ashley slowly lifted her head, meeting a familiar pair of shockingly blue, wide eyes staring right at her. __Slamming her eyes shut, and opening them again, she's completely sure she wasn't dreaming this. __Ashley was absolutely, positively sure she knew the girl in front of her. __After all, I'd know those eyes anywhere._

_Blue eyes continued to stare into the stunned brown eyes across the room, both girls forgetting how to even breath for a second._

_And in that moment, all both of them could think so say was..._

_"Ashley?"_

_"Spencer?"_

**Authors Note: No, Ashley and Spencer were not 'involved' before their little reunion. And there's a reason for this, but I won't tell you yet. ;)******************

**UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Chapter Five : To Wish Impossible Things**

**(Ashley POV)**

I wished someone would pinch me.

Because this has to be a nightmare.

Spencer, is sitting next to me.

Seriously.

Kill me now.

Of course, the only empty desk in the room _had_ to be next to mine. So, that's the one Mr. Roberts chose to sit Spencer. Which was 10 minutes ago—10 minutes of really awkward silence between the two of us. I didn't know what to do, or say, or not say, or not do—God dammit, I can't think even straight.

Am I sure this isn't a nightmare?

I exhaled slowly, letting go of the pencil I'd been chewing on the past for three minutes, and pinched the inside of my elbow.

I cringed. _Ouch._

Rolling my eyes at my own stupid thoughts, I found my eyes slowly drifting over to Spencer's desk about three feet away. Thankfully, the rows weren't straight, so the desk was farther up than mine was. Which gave me just enough leeway to actually _look_ at her face for the first time in years without her noticing me. Even if it was only the side of it.

My memory certainly didn't do her beauty justice. If anything, the three years we were apart aged her perfectly. Her face had lost the childish roundness to it, now more of a womanly oval, showing off her cheek bones. And from the looks of it, she'd definitely grew into her curves which is a feet for someone of her height. Honestly, Spencer looked gorgeous...

I tear my eyes away. _What the hell, Davies? You tried to forget her for a reason, remember?_

The bell rings.

Suddenly, I felt someone blow past me as Spencer glided towards the door. My head falls, regretting it all now. I should've did something,_ anything_.

I groaned, gathering my things. Just as I stood from my desk a note had flung on my desk, and sliding down into the chair. I eyed the small rectangular paper, looking up across the small distance to focus on a pair of blue eyes moving out of view into the hall.

I didn't know why I picked up the note, but I did it anyway. I wasn't thinking about how much she'd hurt me before I left, or how much I still loved her after all this time of trying to pretend she doesn't exist. I only knew doing whatever this note asked of me would erase every promise I'd made to myself. Maybe, subconsciously, that's what I really wanted. For everything to change, be better. Or maybe I'm just hoping for too much.

I scrambled out the door before I could figure it out.

When I arrived at my locker, I had managed to build up the courage to unravel the note.

**_Meet me in the gym. 7th period.  
Please.  
~_****_Spencer  
_**

_..._

Ashley had been pacing outside of the gym's entrance for ten minutes, debating whether or not she should enter.

Luckily, seventh period was study hall, and something told her that Spencer knew that. God, she hadn't even thought the girl's name so much in years. It reminded her of how much she had cared about Spencer. It reminded her of...everything. Every single memory she'd been locking away had come rushing back, and Ashley had never felt so scared in her entire life. Because all she wanted to do right now was to see _her_, hold on, and never let her go again. But Spencer was the one who said she didn't want to be her friend anymore. She was the one who walked away. Because she was scared too, and couldn't handle it anymore.

Ashley couldn't just forget about that, and forgive her like it never happened. Spencer needed to prove herself. It was the only way Ashley could ever trust her again.

Stepping through one of the Gym doors, she started to search for Spencer through the scattered herds of girls around her. They were all doing what you'd think they would inside this place: basketball, volleyball, making out, cheerleading practice. Same old, same old anywhere you are.

Ashley almost smiled. Oh, the cheerleaders. I could never forget those douches. I wonder if Madison is still here? Good times, good times.

She crept past all their glares quietly and placed herself in a corner of the bleachers, easily out of sight to everyone else. Except Spencer, who used to pull her behind here everytime they watched Clay and Glen practicing in the gym. Spencer would know where she was. Naturally, Ashley took out her ipod, and started listening to the first song that popped onto the screen.

_Please stop your crying  
It will be alright  
Just take my hand;Hold it tight...  
I will protect you from all around you,  
I will be here  
Don't you cry...  
For one so small,you seem so strong  
My arms will hold you;keep you safe and warm  
This bond between us can't be broken  
I will be here  
Don't you cry..._

The song instantly brings her back to a simpler time in her life. She remembers the day well, after all, it was the first day of the rest of her life.

_**:Flashback:**_

_Twelve years ago._

_My mother and I were at the park. My mother had been sitting down on a bench for the past five minutes with me standing infront of her. __I had pulled the leg of my mother's pants, reeling in her attention from staring into space._

_"Yes, honey?" She asked, pulling me up to sit beside her._

_The five year of me frowned, swinging my feet back and forth on the bench. "Where's Daddy?"_

_I had remembered how sad that had made my mother then, looking down at her daughters heartbroken expression. "I'm sorry, sweetie. He really wanted to come..."_

_Five year old me only nodded at her mother's words, not entirely surprised that her Daddy hadn't made it again. This wasn't the first time he was too busy for his family. __I had kissed my mother's cheek, skipping down to the swings in clear view of her. But I had faced away from my mother, not wanting her to see when the first wave of tears ran down my cheeks._

_After a few minutes had passed, and I had gotten some of my frustrations out, I heard some kids arguing. I pulled up my head to see a curly haired boy pushing another girl down. She hadn't looked like she had hurt him in any way which confused me to no end. She hadn't done anything to him, and he pushed her. It angered me, and before I knew it, I was trudging toward the boy in full on power-walk mode._

_Arriving just in time, I managed to shove my foot hard against his balls before he could push the girl again. Hearing his sissy little scream, I only smirked down at the boy trying not to laugh. When he had__ stumbled away in search of his mom, that left me along with the weeping girl behind me._

_I had reached out to her then, concerned she was really hurt, and she needed to get a band aid or something. But she was shaking and too petrified to take it. I watched as the girl scooted away from me, her face hidden as she hugged herself. Seeing that, my heart broke. But I decided to try again, getting on my knees against the ground._

_I held out my hand again. "What's your name?"_

_No response._

_I flexed my fingers out, touching the girl's shoulder gently. The blonde flinched, but soon softened at my touch. I had been so relieved that she wasn't afraid of me._

_"I'm not gonna hurt you. Jus' take my hand," I had whispered. "I'll protect you."_

_A minute later, the girl peeked out her head to look at me quietly. And that's when I felt my heart, like, stop for a second. __"Whoa."_

_All I could think about in those first few seconds was how that little girl had the bluest eyes, well, ever. She was pretty too, more prettier than the rest of the girl's at the park. I remembered thinking how strange that thought was, saying it about a stranger. Upon further inspection of the frightened girl, my eyes narrowed seeing the rest of her face. I almost growled, fighting the urge to go find the boy and kick him again. Even harder. Because the little girls face was scraped on her left cheek, and she had a nasty cut above her eye. _

_But all that anger had vanished when I felt her hand in my own suddenly. I looked up from our hands, feeling the weirdest pressure in my chest. Tiny arms wrapped around my neck, squeezing me tightly into a spontaneous hug before she stepped away from me._

_"Spencer...my name," She had whispered back, eyes on the ground._

_I smiled at the funny name. "I'm Ashley..." _

_The tiny girl smiled too. "Thank you."_

_I giggled, throwing an arm around her tiny shoulder's. "Anytime...Spence."_

**_:End of Flashback:_**

Hearing yet another bell, Ashley was smacked out of her thoughts.

She was still alone under the bleachers, which had surprised her. Ashley shakes her head, exhaling a deep breath that shocked her from her core. She felt like her heart was burning in her chest, wanting nothing else to do, but just getting out of there. Sprinting past the remaining girl's inside the gym, Ashley soon found herself stopping at the exit.

Her feet stop, and she waits.

Because she's hopeful again, which she hated, hoping that those few extra seconds would be enough to catch Spence if she was to come after all. But those few seconds pass, and no one comes for her.

This was Spencer's second chance, and she hadn't showed.

_..._

With that Ashley was gone, just missing a blond enter the opposite end of the gym, desperately out of breath. The girl looked up, eyes screening the remaining people anxiously. Realizing that the one girl she had came here to see wasn't there, her eyes started to swim with tears. The blonde clenched her fists in frusteration, feeling her knees hit the cold wrestling mat underneath her.

"Not again," She whispers, raising a fist to punch the mat hard. She didn't even feel the pain when her hand came coiling back.

In regret, she quietly exited the gym, a tear falling down her cheek.

* * *

**R&R.**


	6. Chap 6: Burns & Realizations

____

_**Disclaimer: South=don't own.**_

*******  
****UPDATE: EDITED.  
***********

* * *

**Chapter Six : Burns & Realizations **  
**  
**  
Practically running down the steps of King High, Ashley spots her mothers limo parked directly in front of them. She quickly opens the door, and throws herself at the leather seat with an exhausted groan. Thank god this day was over.

The ride home was quiet.

Ashley's arms layed limp in her lap, eyes closed tightly. Because she couldn't stop the memories of her past from replaying over and over until she felt moisture building in her eyes. It had hurt to remember, so much. So, she decided to stop thinking all together, because all she thought about was Spencer.

It made her feel kind of numb then, taking that part of her away. But Ashley knew that this numbness wouldn't last. It would always come back to haunt her in the end. Now, it was just a matter of if she would give into the pain of her past, and forgive Spencer. Because if she did, she would be one step closer to filling the emptiness she'd felt every day since she left.

Her head falls, just wanting everything to start being easier. It was then that a long raised scar on her palm caught Ashley's eyes. She found herself tracing the scar gently, remembering what had caused the scar...

**_Flashback:_**

_It had been our first dance, the Spring Formal. Seventh grade only had a few more months to go as March rolled around. Spencer had just turned fourteen, only a few months after me, and demanded that I go as a birthday present for her. Of course I went, for her. But I wished we could've gone together, as dates, but best friends didn't do that. So, she took the boy who'd asked her a million times over the course of two weeks. Billy Michaels, the most popular guy in the grade, had chose Spencer to take to the dance. I'm sure he didn't even know her name before the year started, before Spencer had became more attractive to him. Ugh, he was such an ass. I just wished Spencer could have seen it before she decided to go out with him for real. Spencer's first real boyfriend. They'd been together for a month now, and I hated every single second of it._

_The dance was going to start in an hour, and we were in Spencer's bathroom getting ready._

_We had been laughing about how excited her Mom was, when I reached for the curling iron without looking to notice it had been plugged in. Dropping it immediately, I gripped my hand in pain, as I hopped around the bathroom._

_"Holy crap, it burns! Ow, ow, ow. God, son of a—" Spencer's hand was on my mouth, stopping me from finishing that sentence. I glared at the blonde as a soft giggle left her lips. "Spence! Dude, that freaking hurt. Why didn't you—No, you know what? You are so doing your hair next time!"_

_I had whispered harshly, which only made my best friend laugh harder as she lifted a finger to her lips to shush me._

_"Lower your voice, Davies," She warns me, reaching over to touch the blistered skin of my palm. "I'm so sorry, Ash. Does it hurt?" When a squeak left my mouth, Spencer pulled away. "Oops, sorry."_

_Spencer had rushed to wet down a rag, eyeing me seriously before gently placing it over the burn. I opened my mouth to scream, but Spencer's hand is covered firmly across it again. In that small amount of time, she had managed to close the small distance between our two dress-clad bodies._

_"No screaming," She whispers, "I don't want mom to come in here. She'll freak, and send you home...and I don't want you to leave me, okay?"_

_Seeing how desperate she had looked, I shook my head solemnly as Spencer removed her hand. __She hadn't moved away that much from their earlier proximity, only just enough to continue examining my hand in between us. I watched intently as Spencer's brow furrowed adorably, cradling my palm with one hand, while absently tracing patterns on my forearm with the other. Being this close to her only made my pulse quicken more than it already was._

_Because Spencer smelled really good._

_I started to lean closer into my best friend, feeling the heat coming off her body, and wanting to be closer. I let my eyes travel down Spencer's body in admiration, silently thanking the gods in my head for creating such a beautiful human being. And as if the closeness hadn't already sent my head spinning, __Spencer did something that almost killed me. __Gently lifting my hand up to her mouth, her eyes find mine as she blew softly onto my palm._

_"Feel better?" She whispers, voice cracking suddenly._

_My mouth fell open slightly, watching the emotions running across her face after that. Spencer's eye brows pulled together, piecing together why I had looked to so funny, because of the position we were in and what she was currently doing. But she never looked away from me. If anything, the intensity inside those blue eyes only increased._

_..._

_Little did Ashley know, she wasn't the only one who would remember that night for the rest of her life._

_Because in that moment, for the first time, Spencer Carlin finally saw her best friend. __As cliched as it sounded, it was true. It was like the wool cover was ripped from over her eyes, leaving this clarity of everything behind._

_Spencer drops Ashley's hand, feeling her heart beating unnaturally fast, and nearly gave the girl a panic attack. But deep down, she didn't mind the pain. Because the feeling behind the pain was so overpowering, and it made Spencer's heart flutter. Every unsure thought, question, and doubt in her mind over the years since she met the brunette suddenly dissolved—Poof. Everything was so clear to her now that she almost slapped herself for being so stupid. The reason behind the fluttering of her heart when she looked at Ashley. The butterflies. It was attraction, like real I-want-to-kiss-you-right-here-and-now attraction. But it was more than that, you know, it didn't feel like lust at all...It felt like love. Real love, like she'd real in all those stupid romance books in Ashley's mom's study when we were bored. Why hadn't she realized this before? Had she been lying to herself this whole time? She loved her best friend, like, really loved her. Oh, god, she loved Ashley Davies..._

_And this scared her suddenly. __Spencer knew if it weren't for that one little thought, she would've kissed Ashley._

_Just then, the bathroom door flew open, making the two girls jump apart instantly._

_..._

_Standing there, was Spencer's mother, Paula Carlin (a.k.a. Satan). She had a bewildered expression on her face as she stared between the two of us. "What's going on in here?"_

_"Sorry, I thought I saw a spider on Ashley's dress," Spencer lied, rather convincingly. When her mother didn't budge, she shot a worried glance over at me. "Mom? You okay there?"_

_Paula shakes her head, and gave her daughter a tight smile. "Oh, yeah, peachy. Spencer, you and Ashley should—should get going. You're going to be late."_

_Once we were in the car, Paula still seemed weird, and it unnerved me to no end. She kept giving us the crazy eye the whole drive there, eyes always drifting back at us from the rear view mirror. I still hadn't processed what the hell happened with Spencer inside the bathroom, and Paula acting like some crazy wasn't helping my head ache._

_Later on at the dance._

_Me, being the third wheel, pretty much spent my time watching my best friend and douche face dance to cheesy music. It took twenty more minutes of glaring at the two, before I decided to distract myself before I got too angry. Making my way through the crowd of students, I found a table in the back, and pulled out my MP3 player to settle my nerves. Which only worked for another half hour before I went to search for Spencer again. I spotted them fighting in a corner, surrounded by a few couples who watched in case a fight broke out._

_As I got closer to the quarreling pair, I see Billy's hand raising into the air and slap Spencer across the face. __Oh, hell no._

_Oh. Hell. Fucking. No._

_Shoving the remaining people in my way aside, I reached out to poke Billy hard in the shoulder. "Hey, Billy?"_

_Once the boy turned around, I cranked my arm back and swung my fist into his chin with a loud smack. Billy stumbles, falling backwards onto the floor. Ignoring his groaning, I swatted his hands away from his face, grabbing his collar, and pulled him up to my face._

_"You hit her again, and I'll do more than that next time," I seethed, glaring into his pained expression, before dropping him onto the floor again._

_Seconds later, his friends finally snapped out of their stunned silence and carried him out of there. I turned my attention onto Spencer, who was against the wall, shaking like a leaf. Knowing that I only had a few more seconds before I was busted by a teacher, I gently took Spencer's hand and got us both out of there. Unfortunately, a teacher was already searching in our direction, so I pulled us behind the first thing I saw. The bleachers. It wasn't the first time, so we were already accustomed to the cramp 2 1/2 feet of standing space. __Once the dance had started again, and the teachers weren't scoping the gym for me, I sighed in relief._

_A soft sniffle reached my ears then, and I turned around to Spencer's body being thrown against mine. I only held onto her tighter, the urge to kill that douche still alive in my thoughts. After Spencer had calmed down, she pulled us down against the wall. I had called over some nerd and bribed him to get me a cold paper towel, and not rat on them. Shockingly, he accepted._

_I pulled the quiet girl's chin up and held a wet paper towel to her reddened face. My other hand had been permanently intangled with Spencer's hand on her lap. Spencer hadn't talked yet, which she understood, but it was starting to worry her. _

_"Spence, talk to me," I had whispered into her ear, knowing that she wouldn't hear me over the blaring music bouncing off the gym walls. A minute later the music slowed, thankfully, and Ashley squeezes her best friend's hand._

_Spencer's bloodshot eyes finally looked away from the open spaces between the bleachers, staring down at their mingled hands. "I saw him kissing Shelby Daniels, and I confronted him...Then we started fighting, and he—" Spencer winces, blinking back tears. With one long breath, she had smiled. It only lasted a second, but it was there._

_"Then you came," She murmurs, wistfully. "My angel."_

_I snorted. "If you say so, Spence."_

_..._

_Spencer felt herself smile again, shifting into the brunette's side._

_She hated for her best friend to see her like this. But, honestly, if it weren't for her, god knows what would've happened if she hadn't kicked Billy's ass. Ashley was so brave. It was just one of the many things she admired about her...Okay, so it looks like this whole butterflies feeling isn't going away anytime soon. Maybe I should just come clean. Worst case scenario, she freaks and runs off. But it's Ashley, I mean, she wouldn't freak. Much? Man, what the hell am I gonna do?_

_Her silence must've worried Ashley again, because she was squeezing her hand again. "Are you okay?"_

_"I will be, Ash," Spencer had answered, leaning her head back against the cold brick. "Maybe if you put a fish in his locker for me?"_

_Ashley just rolled her eyes at my lame attempt at revenge. "Okay, deal. I'd do anything to see you smile again."_

_Spencer takes her head off of Ashley's shoulder, hearing one of her favorite songs playing over the speakers. __She smirks up at the her best friend. "Anything?"_

_Ashley takes notice of the familiar song, groaning as Spencer pulled them both to their feet. "Spencer, you know I can't dance."_

_Spencer's smile turns into a pout, blinking her big, blue puppy dog eyes at her._

_Ashley whimpered, knowing she couldn't say no to that. "Fine. But you owe me big."_

_Spencer shook her head at her best friends' stubbornness, linking her arms around the girl's neck. If it wasn't safe for them to dance with everyone else without Ashley getting dragged away, then they would make due with behind the bleachers. She smiled at Ashley's hands around her waist, feeling the butterflies more than ever now._

_She layed her head against the girl's shoulder, feeling their feet start to move slowly to the music. Dancing with Ashley felt so much more comfortable and amazing than it had been with her now ex-boyfriend. Spencer made it a silent promise to herself that she wouldn't ever forget this feeling._

**_:End Of Flashback:_**

Ashley groaned, pounding her head frantically with her English book. "Stop. Just stop it already!"

After a second, she huffed, tossing the book aside. Man, these things are starting to piss me off. Her eyes glanced out the window as the limo passed my a familiar place. Immediately recognizing the place, Ashley lent forward in her seat, and screamed,"STOP!"

The limo screeches to a halt, nearly knocking Ashley off her seat. After begging the driver to let her stay for a while and pick her up in a few hours, Ashley crept through the aged park. But not before getting stocked with mace, a taser, and twang from the driver. She wasn't sure what the twang is for though.

Looking around, she saw the same swings, benches, and jungle gyms she had loved when she was little. It was so vacant and quiet, no one except for Ashley was there. Glancing to her right, she saw familiar rusty blue swings and sat in one, rocking back and forth as it swung through the air. Ashley smiled, remembering the memories she experienced in this park. Ashley had been so caught up in her thoughts, that she almost didn't sense someone watching her.

Almost.

Daring herself to turn around, Ashley slowly peeked over her shoulder on the swing.

A gasp catches in her throat. It was _her_.

There she stood, Spencer Carlin in all her glory. Long wavy brown hair blew against her shoulders as the wind suddenly picked up.

In those few seconds, Ashley felt the temperature drop a few degrees. She even hear the beginning of thunder crackling in the distance. She'd completely forgot about the thunderstorm expected for that afternoon.

Ashley slowly stood to her feet, abandoning the swing set. "What are you doing here?"

The girl had just stared at her then, looking like she hadn't slept in days. Her eyebrows pulled together, as if she'd been wondering the same thing. It made Ashley regret the harshness in her tone, softening her expression enough to tell Spencer she hadn't any reason to fight with the girl. Spencer catches the change, and takes a reluctant step towards Ashley.

"I didn't mean to be," She whispers.

Ashley follows the action, taking a step of her own.

The girl's gaurded, confused expression unnerved her. Like, Ashley was some stranger who had walked into her life and knew everything about her. Spencer looked completely terrified of her, Ashley found herself determined to change it.

Spencer's mouth opened, but snapped shut again. Before she can even register it, Ashley's stepping forward again.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

It was soft, barely heard from under the rumbling clouds above.

"Glen's stupid car stalled, and I had to leave early," She explained, desperately, her words tripping over each other. She ran a hand through her tussled brown hair, trying to make me understand. "But I couldn't _not_ see you..."

Ashley could see the tears in Spencer's eyes then, forcing herself forward until they were only feet apart from each other now. "Spence—"

"But you weren't there, you were gone," Spencer had rambled on, swallowing hard on her words. "After that, I didn't even know I had walked here until I looked up...and saw you."

She pressed a shaking hand against her lips, unsuccessfully hiding her trembling lip.

"I had this whole freaking speech planned, you know, to tell you why I'd—" Her words stopped abruptly, her blue eyes flashing. "But it doesn't matter now because you're here, and I can't remember one god damn word of it anymore."

Ashley exhaled slowly," I know the feeling..."

Ashley pursed her lips in concentration, coming to grips with the meaning behind her words. She must've written countless letters to the girl within her first year in Los Angeles, telling her how much she'd hurt her. But she couldn't send them. She had promised herself that if she were ever to see Spencer again, she'd slap her in the face, walk away and never come back. But standing in front of her, all that anger and scorn towards her had seemed silly and non important now.

So, she let them go.

She's reaching out, touching Spencer's shuddering shoulder gently. Spencer looked up at Ashley then, breathing a sigh of relief at the girl's touch. In that moment of staring into those childish blue eyes, Ashley feels like she's fourteen again.

"Ash," Spencer whispers.

The familiar nickname made Ashley stop breathing, forgetting anything she was about to say. Right at that moment, a loud crackle of thunder roared, making them wince back, but still hold their stance. Ashley felt something wet slide down her face. She knew it wasn't the rain yet.

Feeling the other girl's hand cover her own, Ashley gives in, and closes the gap between them. Her arms surged forward, locking around Spencer's neck, desperately tugging her in closer. Ashley doesn't think she can let go. She can't let her go again. Because no matter what happened three years ago, all she knew was that she wants this—she _needs_ this.

"I never want to lose you," She breathes into Spencer's ear, eyes closing at the sound of her voice breaking. "Not again."

...

Spencer smiled against her best friends hair.

She pulled herself away just enough to lay a delicate kiss into Ashley's flushed cheek. Pressing their foreheads together, she let her hands cradle the girl's face, relishing in every freckle and dimple still present after all that time apart. _She is so beautiful_, she had thought to herself as she traced a thumb over Ashley's wet cheek.  
As the first drops of rain scattered down onto their shivering bodies, both girls tilted their heads up to the sky and took in the welcoming showers. It was then that Spencer had lowered to head, smiling at the light now inside Ashley's eyes as she gazed up at the darkened sky above them. It was a glimpse of the Ashley she once knew, of the girl she fell in love with. Her biggest mistake was letting Ashley go, and she promised herself she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to the girl.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The intense expression on Ashley's face softened, and she smiles down at her for the first time. Spencer held her breath, forgetting how much she'd missed it when the older girl smiled.

"Me neither," She whispers, connecting their bodies together again into a tighter, deeper embrace than before.

It was storming around them now, but they didn't care. They felt like the only two in the world, with nothing holding them back.

Except each other.

* * *

**R&R.**


	7. Chap 7: Our Fate is in the stars

**Disclaimer still stands.**

**_AN: This is basically what happened three years ago, between Spence&Ash. It starts two months after the dance, that summer. The next chapter will start up after what happened in chapter 6._**

*******  
****UPDATE: EDITED.  
***********

* * *

**Chapter Seven : Our Fate Is Written In The Stars. Until Someone Shoots It Down.**

**_Three years ago._**

I skipped up the steps of Spencer's porch, swinging the front door open. We were going to spend the day down by our lake, swimming and watching the sun go down. Entering into the house, my ears caught onto muddled voices arguing in the kitchen. I thought it best to silently back away, this being a private conversation and none of my business.

But upon hearing my name, I stopped in my tracks. Taking hesitant steps towards the kitchen, I crept as quietly as possible as I reached the hall next to the kitchen.

Standing only inches from the kitchen entrance, I strain my ears to hear the rest of the conversation.

"She's my _best __friend, _Mom. Please, please don't make me do this."

My fists clenched, hearing the tears in Spencer's voice. I poke my head inside the doorway, just enough to be hidden still. Spencer's sitting at the kitchen table, her head in her hands. Paula's standing near the sink with a glass of wine, that same crazy look in her eyes.

An empty bottle of wine sat on the counter beside her. Paula had been drinking.

Paula Carlin had been a recovering alcoholic, claiming that her salvation to God was what made her stop. She hasn't drank in over seven years. Or at least, that was before her husband left her a year ago and took Spencer's brothers along with him. Spencer's dad couldn't take the lies about drinking anymore and packed his bags. A month later, a court order sought him the parental guardian. Spencer's dad took only the boys with him, only because Spencer couldn't leave her mom. Because if she did, she would've broken down and most likely killed herself. She couldn't live with that in her heart, so she chose to stay.

Almost every day since then, she's been going through wine bottles left and right. Spencer's mother had always had this short fuse with people, and almost always, took her anger out on the people around her. Though, she barely ever lashed out at her daughter...but when she did, I had to bite the bullet because Spencer made me promise. Every time I saw Spencer with a busted lip, or hand print on her arm, it felt horrible to know that I could make it stop. But I wouldn't, because of her. She only saw the good in people, and wanted to stop the drinking, and save her mom. It was completely pointless, but she wouldn't listen to me. So. In return, I made her promise as soon as she turned 15, she'd move in with her father.

"I have to, Spencer," Paula breathed, rolling her eyes furiously. "It's the only way to stop this, stop this before she can corrupt you anymore. I've seen the way you two look at each other, and it disgusts me. I've let this friendship between you go on for too long, and it stops now."

Spencer lifts her head from her lap, blue eyes pleading out to her mother. She stands from her chair, reaching out to touch her mother's shoulder. "You've been drinking, you don't mean this. Please, let me help you upstairs—"

Smack.

Spencer's holds her face in pain, silent tears brimming her eyelids.

"Don't touch me, you're disgusting," Her mother sneers, slurring her words.

I balled up my fists angrily, fighting the urge to run into the kitchen and smash the wine bottle against Paula's face. But I knew I couldn't go to her, but Spencer told me she had to fight her own battles. If Ashley would have gone in there now, they'd never see each other again.

Paula grunted, knocking back the rest of the wine in her glass. "Fucking faggot. She's never coming into my house anymore, that's for sure. If I have anything to do with it, you'll never be alone with that—that slut ever again. No, not my daughter."

"Don't talk about her like that," Spencer whispered. My ears perked up.

Paula raised a drunken eyebrow at her daughter. "Excuse me?"

My heart stops, listening with anticipation of Spencer's reply. Spencer's courage depleted then, and her head falls, eyes dropping to the floor.

"She's already gotten you under her spell, hasn't she? I see it in your eyes," Paula accused, her face twisting into bewilderment. "No, Spencer, please? Tell me your not in love with this girl. That sinner—"

"She's not a sinner. She is my _best friend_," Spencer interrupted, shaking her head at her mother in exasperation. But then Spencer's voice went weak, and tiny. She was giving up. "And god dammit, no, I'm not in love with her. She's just my friend...nothing more."

It shouldn't have hurt me so much, hearing Spencer say that. But it broke my heart, and I didn't feel hopeful anymore about what we could've been. With tears in my eyes, I backed away, and ran out the back door. I cried the whole way home.

**_(Spencer POV) _**

"Don't lie to me, Spencer," Mom snarls, taking an aggressive step towards me. "Or, so help me I'll—"

I cringed away from her, feeling the lie already leaving my lips. "God, I'm not like that, Mom! We're just friends."

I felt light headed as I glared up at my mother, the side of my face burning. My mother, a monster. With that, I watches as the anger in my mother's eyes fades, but still simmers wildly under the blue. Snatching another bottle of wine from the cabinet, she starts taking sloppy steps out of the kitchen. Once she hits the door frame, my mother turns around to glower at me.

"Monday, you will tell her she has nothing to do with you anymore," She orders. "You aren't friends, and she will leave you alone from now on. If you want to continue living in this home, you will do as I say. Or, I swear, if you don't, I'll send you so far away. You will_ never _see her again."

I nodded numbly, and my mother smirked. In that moment, I felt no more love for my mother. _I hated her._

My mother turned to scramble drunkenly up the stairs, and slammed her bedroom door. I shook my head, and trudged up the stairs after her when I heard the backdoor squeaking. My eyes narrowed as I walked down the stairs, and glanced around the corner. The back door was cracked slightly, softly banging against the wooden frame.

My mouth falls open, remembering that Ashley had been on her way over to her house before their argument. Oh, god.

**_(Ashley POV)_**

After school on Monday, Spencer asks me if we could talk. She'd been avoiding me the entire day, so I was surprised by the invitation. Yet, the overheard conversation between her and her mother kept replaying in my head which made me all the more anxious.

She took me to the park where we first met, and we sat down on a our bench a few yards down, by the lake. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, I glanced over at Spencer's angst-ridden expression. She met my eyes then, searching for an answer she quickly found.

"You _were_ there, weren't you?" Her head falls shamefully, and I reach out to her. She flinched away from my touch, and it breaks my heart.

She shakes her head, and stood to her feet. "I can't stand up for myself, even after what happened...I know that. But I can't let her hurt you. Not like she did my family. I won't."

"What are you saying?" Confused, I push myself off the bench. But her hands are on my shoulders, pushing me back down. She's staring at me, right into my eyes, and I know she's so close to crying. I grab onto her hands, and pulled her down onto her knees in front of me. I ignored her hands locking on my knees to keep herself from falling into me.

"Spencer, what did she tell you?" I ask, and her pained eyes are on mine again. After a second, her hands leave from knees and fall limp at her sides.

"We can't do this."

My heart stops. "What?"

"Maybe someday, another place, we can. I'm not taking the chance of her hurting you. It would _kill me_, Ash," She confessed, indecision filling her eyes.

She looked like she was in so much pain, having to literally force the words out of her mouth. Spencer takes my hands in her own, studying them in concentration like they were some treasure map.

"I can't believe this...I have to leave you to be with you," She whispers, with a bitter laugh. "I can't loose you, but if we stay friends...She'll take me away from you, and dump me in some boarding school across the country. I wouldn't see you for years. I won't let that happen. All I need is a few years, until I'm eighteen, then I can move out. She couldn't touch us."

I just gaped at my best friend, stunned into silence. I didn't understand it, any of it.

"God dammit, no," I growled, throwing myself off the bench. "Why are you so fucking afraid of her, Spencer!"

She just shook her head at me, not saying another word.

I screamed out in frustration, jabbing a finger into her shoulder. "We've been friends forever, and you bail out now because you're afraid of what your Mommy will do? No, that's bullshit, Spence. Tell me the truth. You tell me why the hell you're doing this!"

"You know why," She mutters, staring at me hopelessly. "Because I'm in—"She caught herself then, taking a deep breath. "It doesn't matter now. What I said was final...I can't be you're friend anymore. We're done."

With that, all my anger flew out the window. I reached out, and cradled her face desperately.

"No, no, don't. Don't say that, Spence." I was her now, begging her take those words back. "We'll runaway, okay? Like we always talked about, remember? To your dads. Right now. Come on, please?"

Spencer just leaned into my hands, letting the the tears fall down her numb face.

"I'm so sorry," She whispers, her voice breaking. She lifted my hands from her face, and lent in to kiss my forehead for the last time. "But until I'm free of her, I have to let you go."

My best friend walked away from me then, leaving me there at our lake. Spencer left me that day, and took my heart with her. And me, well, part of me was still there waiting until she brought it back.

...

I walked home, the tear stains already dry on my face by the time I walked through the door. My mother was sitting on our couch, greeting me with a nervous smile.

Seeing me just standing there, looking at her, my mother motioned for me to sit down. I silently obliged, still too dazed by what had happened too actually speak. I didn't want to say her name, I didn't even want to think it.

"Ashley, don't get mad, but I have to tell you something—"She stops, probably noticing how puffy my eyes were."Oh, sweetie, are you okay?"

I shrugged, dejectedly, wiping away any moisture left on my cheeks. "What do you have to tell me?"

My mother sighed, knowing if I didn't want to talk about it, I wouldn't. "Well, you know how I've been looking for another firm lately? I've finally found one."

A half-hearted smile reaches my lips. "That's great."

"Now let me finish," She says, her chipper tone changing. I don't notice. "The job is, well, it's in Los Angeles. If I want to make this work, we have to move soon." She waits, expecting an uprise from me. Instead, she observes as my face changed from shock to surprise to understanding in all but five seconds. "Ashley. I understand if you'd want to stay a little longer...to say goodbye to Spencer."

I winced at the name, but still thought it through for a second. Considering that my best friend just told me she didn't want to be friends anymore, I really didn't have any reason to stay here.

"How long?" I'd asked her, quietly. "Until we leave, I mean."

"A few days at the most," She explained seriously, leaning over to touch my hand. "We'd be leaving everything here, baby. A fresh start. But if you don't want to. I mean, your friend Spencer—"

I didn't need to think about it. "Okay."

I looked up to my mother's surprised expression. "Really?What about—"

"I have no reason to stay here anymore, Mom. It's okay," I whispered, no tone evident in my voice. Without looking at my mom's reaction, I stood up and walked out of the room. "I'll go pack my bags."

After that, I didn't go back to school for the next three days. It would have been a waste of time. Though, the main reason was to avoid _her_. I just couldn't bare it after what happened.

...

It was the morning of the move, and I hadn't really gotten any sleep. All I could think about was closure.

If I didn't atleast do something before I left, I would've regretted it. No matter how much I just wanted to leave already. It was about 6:50. They'd leave in less than an hour. I cracked my fingers, and started typing the message.

I had just about finished when my Mom yelled for me to come to the car. I clicked _send, _closing my laptop, and running out the door.

**(Spencer POV)**

I woke up to a jingling sound from my left.

Squinting open my eyes, I saw that my laptop was still on. Lately, I'd been turning it on the night before to see who signs on in hopes of it being Ashley. But I never saw Ashley's name online.

"It's not even seven," I grumbled, stumbled out of bed, and opened up my inbox.

_1 new email message._

Even then, I still felt myself getting all hopeful again. It was her, it had to be. My eyes widened, seeing that it was indeed from Ashley.

Taking a long breath, I opened the message, and began reading.

_Spencer,_

_I'm moving today, t__o Los Angeles._

_Your Mom probably kept that from you. I kept that from you. I'd say sorry, but I'm not. Still, I think you deserved that much. We leave very soon, and I barely have time to type this. But I had to tell you this myself. You said it would kill you if Paula did something to me...__Well, it's killing _me _now. Knowing that you don't want to be my friend, to be with me, even though it's only to protect me. What kills me the most is that you didn't fight for me. That you didn't fight for us._

_I haven't been at school, or anywhere, for that matter. I didn't want to see you. I couldn't. It would've hurt me to see you, especially after what happened. I just don't want to hurt anymore. But I am hurting. Every minute. Of every day._

_You hurt me that day, Spence. You broke me. You know that, and that's what you're going to live with when I'm gone. I'm not sure when we'll see each other again because I don't know if even I'll be coming back. Or if you'll be here when I do..._

_I hope your not. I hope you get away from her. I hope one day you'll be far away from this place._

_I told myself I wouldn't do this. But still, if one of us dies or something, and I never get a chance to tell you this—I'm telling you now. __First of all, I don't hate you. I want to, you deserve it. But I can't, and I never could._

_You know, I remember the first day I saw you. You were getting pushed by that jockstrap and I kneed em' in the nuts. But that didn't matter once you looked up at me. Once I knew you were safe again. God. You took my breath away, you know? I couldn't stop looking into those eyes. I didn't know why I never wanted to be away from a girl I hadn't even met before. I didn't really know you, but I knew you would become my friend. From that day on, I couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to protect you and being there for you. Always._

_But I realize that's not possible right now. Maybe one day. _

_I'm going to miss your eyes. I'm going to miss everything about you. I mean...__You were my best friend._

_...I have to go now. My mom says we're leaving._

_Goodbye, I love you._

_~Ashley_

Blue eyes glittered, staring intently at the computer screen as Spencer finished reading the message.

It all hits her then, and her body jolted up, almost knocking over her lamp in the process.

"She's moving today? Right now?" She asked, out loud, feeling her heart racing anxiously as she decided what to do.

Snapping to life, Spencer darted to her closet to pull a hoodie over her tank top and shorts. Then she proceeding to sneek out of the house in search of Ashley. Spencer recalled that her house wasn't close, but she didn't have time to debate on what to do.

So. She ran like hell.

...

"Well, we're all set baby doll. Ready to go?"

Christine clapped her hands together, just finishing packing away the last box into their truck. She smiled, putting an arm around daughter who returned a smaller smile. Ashley kept her gaze on the road, subconsciously hoping Spencer would show up out of nowhere, like in the movies. It would be so romantic...But this isn't the movies.

"Yeah, mom, let's go," She answered, shaking any thoughts of the blonde from her head. They both piled into the truck, quickly driving off, and away from their home.

Just missing a winded blonde arrive in tow.

Spencer glanced around frantically, every muscle in her body trembling. Seeing that the truck wasn't there, and the house was empty, Spencer felt her tired muscles give out. She fell to her knees, and just let the tears fall like bullets. The burning sting of her fists smacking onto the pavement barely even registered to the sobbing girl.

"Dammit!No!Come back, come back!"

She screamed, pressing her forehead against the road in exhaustion as the sobs continued to rack her entire body. Spencer lifted her head, staring into the empty roads around her.

"Come back."

**_End of Flashback :_**

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R&R.


	8. Chap 8 :Love is the voice under all

**Disclaimer Still Stands.**

_**Previously:** __Spencer smiled against her best friends hair._

_She pulled herself away just enough to lay a delicate kiss into Ashley's flushed cheek. Pressing their foreheads together, she let her hands cradle the girl's face, relishing in every freckle and dimple still present after all that time apart. She is so beautiful, she had thought to herself as she traced a thumb over Ashley's wet cheek._  
_As the first drops of rain scattered down onto their shivering bodies, both girls tilted their heads up to the sky and took in the welcoming showers. It was then that Spencer had lowered to head, smiling at the light now inside Ashley's eyes as she gazed up at the darkened sky above them. It was a glimpse of the Ashley she once knew, of the girl she fell in love with. Her biggest mistake was letting Ashley go, and she promised herself she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to the girl._

_"I'm not going anywhere."_

_The intense expression on Ashley's face softened, and she smiles down at her for the first time. Spencer held her breath, forgetting how much she'd missed it when the older girl smiled._

_"Me neither," She whispers, connecting their bodies together again into a tighter, deeper embrace than before._

_It was storming around them now, but they didn't care. They felt like the only two in the world, with nothing holding them back._

_Except each other._

_***********  
****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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_**Chapter Eight : Love Is The Voice Under All Silences**

**(Ashley POV)**

After awhile the rain let up, leaving blinding rays of sunshine peaking out from the gray clouds above us.

I told my driver to go on ahead home, but instead, he told me he'd pick me up in a few hours, and no later. I just rolled my eyes. We decided to take a walk down the path that led to our lake, and I ignored the irony of it all.

We trudged down the muddy path, clothes damp and sticking to our bodies. We barely payed any attention, they'd dry with time, but this moment wouldn't. Hands brushed together every now and then, eyes glanced over secretly at the other, and bashful smiles tugged at our lips once we were caught.

The shimmering blue lake in the distance glittered as we came upon our bench that overlooked the intimate scenery. The sun had just begun to draw below the horizon, reflecting bright oranges and reds off the body of water and painting our faces.

Right as we settled onto the worn, wooden bench, Spencer's head falls against my shoulder, taking in everything around us like she'd seen it for the first time.

"I haven't seen this in a long time, you know?" She whispers, breaking the peaceful silence. "After you left, I just stopped coming." Taking her head off my shoulders, Spencer shifted to sit Indian style onto the bench, and leaning forward on her elbows. Her brows furrowed in concentration, absorbing the whole scene. "God, after all this time, it still takes my breath away."

A smile tugged at my lips, watching her then. Every since we were kids, Spencer had loved watching the sunset. She'd drag me here at least five times a week to watch it, and I never complained. The completely serene expression crossing her features now, stunned me. It was as if she'd let the outside world fade, leaving only us and our lake. I honestly didn't know how she does it, after all that's happened to her, letting go like that. I can see she's in a happier place in her life, and seems very grateful for the time she has lived. To see this sunset, the ones to come, and for this moment.

My eyes twinkling with admiration, my attention only on her face, as I continued to stare in awe at the girl.

"It's beautiful."

Spencer must have felt my eyes on her, slowly tilting her head back at me, and smiling her adorable smile.

I grinned back. _Yeah, I miss this too._

Spencer's expression softened then, turning her head back to the sunset. There's a long moment before she speaks again.

Keeping her eyes straight ahead, she asks, "Is it too late?"

I lift an eyebrow. "Too late for what?"

She's looking back over her shoulder again, eyeing every emotion on my face. "To say I'm sorry?"

I nod once. "Oh."

I straightened myself up against the bench, thinking her question over. I would've asked her the same thing eventually if she hadn't beat me to it. I shrugged, the words that spilling out more squeakier than I'd like.

"Better late than never, right?"

She sighs, relief washing over her. I waited then, anxiously, as she pondered silently in her head for what she was going to say next. Spencer shifted again, facing me on the bench.

"I'm sorry."

She'd said this, looking directly into my eyes, which only made any coherent thoughts fly out the window.

I cleared my throat. "Go on."

"For everything, what I said to you," She says, loud and clear. "You were right, I was afraid of her. My mother wasn't my mother anymore, no matter how much I wanted her to be. She was a monster...and I was so scared, that I let my fear push you away from me."

Something hard and painful sinks in my stomach, listening to Spencer recalling what had to be the most painful day of my life.

She's lost inside her head now, biting her bottom lip hard. "If I wasn't s-so damn afraid, then maybe we would've—we would've—"

Spencer caught herself, taking in a deep breath to quell her stuttering. I almost smiled, knowing that at least some things didn't change in the past three years. Before I could question her further, Spencer's shaking her head, and pulling herself off the bench. My hand's on her arm, gently pulling her back. She sighed, letting me pull her back down beside me.

Her eyes are glued to the lake again. As I stared at her, something about the way Spencer had talked about her mother crossed my thoughts. How it was in the past tense.

"Spence," I say, calling her attention. "Where is Paula now?"

She nearly bites back a growl. "Safe in the mental word of the Ohio State Penitentiary."

My nearly eyes bulged out of their sockets. "What?"

Spencer took in exasperated breath, leaning back against the bench.

"One morning, I snuck out of the house," She recalls softly. "I knew I'd get into so much trouble, but I didn't care. There was somewhere I needed to be."

I slung my arm over the head of the bench, listening tentatively.

"I wasn't surprised when I came home to find her running out of the house. Then she was screaming in my face, and I could smell the alcohol on her breath. I just remember how black her eyes looked, so angry...My mother slapped me, right there in the driveway, then dragged me into the house by my hair. She asked me where I went, and I told her..."

She's smiling a tight smile, glancing up to meet my eyes. "She didn't like the fact that her daughter snuck out to see the one girl she'd forbidden her to see before she moved away."

I felt my jaw drop, but I couldn't bring myself to speak.

"After that, things got," Spencer winces," violent."

My face hardened just thinking of someone hurting Spencer. That fact that it had been her _mother_, just fueled the fire.

"What did she do to you?"

Spencer's face falls, but she nods compliantly. I watched in horror as her hand bunches up the hem of her damp hoodie, raising the cloth up just enough to reveal a hand-length scar tracing down her upper left side. I reached a trembling hand out to her, fingertips gently tracing the faded scar.

"She pushed me into the edge of our livingroom table," She whispers. "It broke three of my ribs. The doctors, they had to reposition them after, so they wouldn't puncture my lung. Hence the scar."

"Oh my god, Spence," I gasped, standing from the bench. My surprise quickly changed to rage, and my arms crossed angrily. "That son of a bitch, I swear, I'll kill her for touching—"

"Ashley," Spencer urged, standing also. "Just take a breath, and calm down for me."

I just stared at her, my eyes starting to water before I can stop them. "I'm so sorry I left you here."

"No, no, don't you dare," She retorts. "_I_ left, okay? Me. What happened to me was not your fault."

Spencer brings both her hands up to cup my cheeks, holding me there with a shaky breath.

I tried to sift through all the questions in my head. "What—What happened after? I mean, did you get away, did you—"

"Ash, it doesn't—"

"Tell me," I demanded.

Spencer nodded, removing her hands from my face.

"She tried to slap me again, but I caught her hand," She says. "I pushed her back into the shelf as hard as I could. While she was knocked out, I called the police. All I remember after that was seeing the red and blue lights outside, before I blacked out myself. "

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling myself calming down. I stayed quiet then, processing everything, before something else starting bugging me. "Where do you live now?"

"With my Dad, of course, " She responds, with a small smile. "I promised you, remember?"

I let out a snort, feeling myself smile for a second. "That promise doesn't really apply anymore after something like that, Spence."

"No, but it made you smile."

Spencer laughed, throwing her arm around my shoulders, and pulled us back down onto the bench. For the next hour, we just stayed there talking and watching the sunset.

...

When it was time for me to go home, and the limo had pulled up to the park, I had asked Spencer if she needed a ride.

Pulling on my best pout for Spencer, she only giggles. "Really, Ashley, I can walk. It's not that far—"

My hand clamped over her mouth, silencing her instantly.

"You talk to much, Spence," I whispered, smirking at her shocked eyes.

Spencer's eyes narrowed in defeat. Smiling triumphantly, I opened the door to the limo, and waved for her to get inside. After a moment of hesitation, she climbed in mumbling an "I hate you" on her way.

I scoffed, climbing in after her. "No, that's good. Hate isn't that far from love, passion."

I slid in beside Spencer on the leather seats, pressing up against her side seductively. I let my eyes linger on her, scanning every inch of her body, obvious enough for Spencer's mouth to drop on the floor. Seeing her visibly swallow, I smiled smugly to myself, and gave her some space.

Oh yeah, I still got it.

Spencer huffs, crossing her arms at me. "I can't believe you, Davies."

"Oh, please, you love it," I teased, enjoying her annoyed expression.

"Do not."

My eyebrows raised. Seriously? "Do too."

Her eyes narrow. "Do _not_."

Lord in heaven, this is getting us nowhere. I had almost threw my arms up in defeat when I suddenly got an idea. It was a challenge, one I was very curious to take on. Leaning closer into the girl's personal space, I locked eyes with a very startled Spencer. The more I pressed myself against her, the further she scoots back, until her back is pressed against the door. I'd practically crawled onto the leather seat, now on my knees between the girls legs, one hand flat against the roof of the limo to brace myself up. I was literally a half second away from straddling Spencer if I wanted to.

Believe me, I _wanted_ to.

A smirk tugs at my lips, and I let my arm against the room give out, dropping me down instantly. I ignore the a sharp intake of breath underneath me. I catch myself quickly, just inches away from her face, darting my hand out to the door to keep me from falling all the way against her. Catching Spencer's slightly stunned expression, I let my eyes roam her face seductively until her features softened.

Half-lidded, dark blue eyes gazed up at me then, and I feel her start to unconsciously lift herself up off the seat. At that moment, I pulled back, and off of Spencer Carlin who just stared wide eyed, and flustered.

I grinned. "Do to."

...

We arrived at Spencer's house soon after that. As the limo came to a stop in front of the house, I couldn't help but stare at the how normal it looked. It was a two story house with white with red window panes, front yard, and a white picket fence. The perfectly trimmed bushes out front were just a bonus.

"Uh, Spence?" I asked, as I stepped out of the limo. "Did you kill the family from _leave it to beaver_, and steal their house?"

She climbs out of the limo, elbowing me in the side as she does so. "Shut up."

I giggled, as we walked up the front steps of her house, and onto the porch. Where we continued to push each other and joke around. It was scary how easy it was to fall back into the way we were.

"Do you want to come inside?" Spencer asks me, looking all hopeful and adorable. "My dad, and my brothers should be home now."

I pursed my lips, considering the invitation for a second. But as always, my head gets in the way, and I bail. "I'm sorry, but I should really be getting home—"

"No, yeah, you should go," She says, but I don't miss the disappointment in her voice. Her hand hits the door nob, barely opening the door, before reluctantly turning back to look at me.

"Did you regret leaving Ohio?"

I inhaled sharply, knowing what she really meant by her question. I guess the truth was all we had right now. "Everyday, Spence."

Spencer's eyes lit up then, and she smiled to herself. She turns around from me, stepping inside her house.

"Spencer?" I'd chirped before I could stop myself. She raises her eyebrows at me questioningly. "You wanna know something?"

"Sure," She whispers, still smiling pleasantly.

"When I left for LA, I kept feeling like I...left something behind," I murmur, feeling my cheeks burn. I cleared my throat, shifting my feet awkwardly. "Like I was missing this huge part of my _life_, you know? I think, even though I'd hated coming back, deep down I hoped that maybe I'd be able to find it again..."

Spencer eyes me intently, and I think she knows what I was really trying to say. "Did you find what was missing?"

I thought about this for only a moment, glancing up to meet my best friends eyes. "Yeah, I think I did."

"I'm really glad your back," She says, leaning into kiss my cheek. It hadn't felt uncomfortable or awkward after that, showing how quickly we really were repairing our tattered friendship.

"Me too," I whispered back, running a hand through Spencer's chocolate waves. "I'm gonna have to get used to this, you know?"

She rolls her eyes at my smug expression, stepping behind the door.

"Good night, Ash."

**(Spencer POV)**

I close my front door as quietly as possible, hoping not to alert my brother's that I was home. If they knew I was out with Ashley Davies I'd never hear the end of it. They may be all comfortable that I'm gay and all, but their perverted-ness just irked me.

"How'd the date go?" Clay asks, never looking away from the book he was reading, as we casually walked past me and into the living room.

"It wasn't a date," I protested, feeling the blush creeping on my cheeks.

Glen's sprinting down the stairs, smiling his creepy smile. "Did you get a kiss goodnight?"

I groaned, grabbing one of the coats on the hanger, and throwing it at him. "God, it wasn't a date!"

Glen only snorts, following Clay into the living room. Though I was slightly annoyed at their assumptions, I was still pretty buzzed with the joy of seeing Ashley again. Hell, with seeing her and trying to fix things. Everything would be okay now, I just knew it. Before I know it, I'm grinning again.

I sighed, pressing my back against the door. "Sweet dreams, Ash..."

**(Ashley POV)**

Meanwhile, outside Ashley Davies is jumping around like a drunken fool as she skipped back towards the limo.

I'd given up trying not to smiling, and just let myself be happy in that moment. I pulled the limo door open, and turned to look at Spencer's house one last time.

A light turning on in one of the windows, catches my eye. Seeing this, I smiled to myself.

"Good night, Spencer Carlin, " I whisper, up at the window, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear it. With an accomplished grin, I stepped inside the car, and shut the door as we drove away from Spencer's home.

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**R&R.**


	9. Chap 9: What Is and What Should Never B

**Disclaimer Still Stands.**

**Previously:**

_**(Ashley POV)**_

_Meanwhile, outside Ashley Davies is jumping around like a drunken fool as she skipped back towards the limo._

_I'd given up trying not to smiling, and just let myself be happy in that moment. I pulled the limo door open, and turned to look at Spencer's house one last time._

_A light turning on in one of the windows, catches my eye. Seeing this, I smiled to myself._

_"Good night, Spencer Carlin, " I whisper, up at the window, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear it. With an accomplished grin, I stepped inside the car, and shut the door as we drove away from Spencer's home._

_***********  
****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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_****_

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**Chapter Nine : What Is & What Should Never Be**

**_(Ashley POV)_**

**_Three days later._**

I woke up with a start, almost falling off the bed when my curtains open, and a blinding pool of sunshine hits my face.

"Jesus Christ!" I screamed from underneath my pillow, followed my a loud groan when that someone pulled my covers off of me. Annoyed, I threw the pillow in the general direction of my curtains, and burrowed my head under my crossed arms.

Someone clears their throat impatiently.

I grunted. "Go away."

They scoffed. "Get up, Davies."

My eyes squinted open, lifting my head up towards the familiar voice of my half sister. I lazy smile tugs at my lips as I eyed the slender girl standing in the brightness of my window. My body jolts up instantly, and I tackle the girl to the ground excitedly.

"Kyla Woods, where the hell have you been?" I screamed, holding onto her for dear life.

Kyla snorts from underneath me, pushing me off playfully. "God, you didn't have to jump me! Did you miss me that much?"

I laughed, pulling her up. "How the hell do you expect me to react? You've been MIA for a month! My tackle was inevitable, and what are you doing here? You're suppose to be here next week."

"You're mom talked to my mom," Kyla says simply. "Said you were freaking out, and needed a crutch before you cracked and killed someone."

I ignored that I felt kind of offended, and wrapped my arms around my sister's waist tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Kyla groans, returning the hug, before I soon hear her throat clear. "Ash. Ash, I can't breathe. Ashley!"

"Oh, right, crap," I mumbled, regrettably letting go of my sister.

Kyla rolls her eyes, straightening out her clothes. Threw my hazy sleep-induced eyes, I noticed Kyla had chopped off her long hair. It didn't even fall against her shoulders, in fact, didn't go past her chin. Her now dark brown hair was now shortened, slightly longer than a pixie-cut, which she oddly pulled off really well.

"Did Kyla Woods actually cut off her hair? And dyed it too? I thought she said that only gay—" Kyla's very hard slap against my arm stops me. "Ouch! God, just joking Sis!"

I giggled, reaching up to touch the cropped head of hair. "Rock on, Miss Woods. Rock on."

She flicks my hand away. "Shut up." Kyla's eyes narrow then, smirking over at me with a smart ass look. She flicks my bangs pointedly, crossing her arms. "And you're one to talk, Miss red bangs."

My expression hardened mockingly. "Touche'."

She laughs, and pushed me forward. "Come on, we leave in an hour."

I just stand there with a moan, before trudging over toward the closet with Kyla slapping my ass on the way.

I hissed, turning around to glare at my sister. "What the hell? You bit—" My mom's arched eyebrow is all I see as she walked past my door then. "Bill of rights, duh. You know, the thingy with the first ten amendments! I can't believe you don't know that! God, what a tard."

As soon as my mother is out of sight, Kyla busts into laughter. I rolled my eyes. Well, that was really lame, Davies.

Giving me a thumbs up, she just shakes her head as she walks out of the room. "Smooth, Ash."

I growled after my sister, throwing a nearby heel at the door just as it closed. My eyes go wide, quickly regretting the action. And like the girl I was, I dashed to fetch the shoe in panic that I'd broken it...which is really sad on my part. Hey, I'm a girl, sue me.

After fighting over what to wear for nearly twenty minutes, I had finally found an outfit. Satisfied, I gathered my other essentials: car keys, sun glasses, Ipod, gum, book bag, charger, rape whistle (what?), and some extra money for lunch.

Ok. Let's do this.

I skipped down the stairs wearing black converses, tight faded blue jeans with a slit on each thigh, a shape fitting jacket over my white white beater, and my hair in a ponytail showing off my flaring red bangs. It was really kind of bad ass, if you ask me. I grinned down at Kyla, who stood arms crossed at the bottom of the stairs.

AS soon as I noticed the annoyed expression she was sporting, my steps slowed as I cautiously approached my tempered sibling. Maybe I took a little too long getting ready than I thought.

"Shit," I mumbled through closed lips, reaching a hand to my mouth, as I if had a walky-talky. "KSSH! Proceed with Caution. Over. KSHH!"

Kyla rolls her eyes, holding out her hand expectantly.

"What?"

"Car keys, duh," She orders.

The keys to my beautiful dark blue Porsche, to be exact. It was my birthday present from my uncle for my sixteenth birthday, and I'll love him every day for the rest of my life. I'd just got it shipped from Los Angeles yesterday, which was a bitch in and of itself. But somewhere before that I'd promised her until she got her SUV, I would let her drive my Porsche sometimes. So, of course, she chose today as one of those times.

I whimpered, but still handed over my keys. But at the last second, I drew my hand back, and lunged myself out the door. Ignoring her persistent cursing behind me, I ripped open the driver side door, and threw myself into the seat.

"Yes!" I screamed, as Kyla got in and slammed her door. "Awh, don't worry. Just keep thinking, _SUV_."

Kyla almost smiled at the mention of her soon-to-be vehicle, but still grumbled out a reply as I started the engine. A song we both recognized was playing on the current radio station. I stopped what I was doing, and smiled over at Kyla.

Beth by Kiss, one of my dad's favorite songs. He liked it so much that he'd ever play it on his tour a few times. Even let me sing it on stage at one of his concerts once when I was fourteen. It took me awhile to fell comfortable singing around my family, let alone with like 8 thousand people around me. To this day I have no idea how I made it through that. You know, people say my voice is amazing, but I'm too freaking modest to ever believe them.

Except Spencer, I mean, anything that girl says with that completely _sexy_ voice of hers, you have to love it. I remember when she'd caught me singing once when I was thirteen, which led to me telling her about my mom and dad's divorce. God, that was a long time ago.

_**Flashback :**_

_Spence and I were at my house. She was sleeping over tonight because my mom and Dad went out. Which I wasn't surprised to hear. So, I called Spencer, and she didn't want me here by myself anyway. It was one of those stormy March nights in Columbus, Ohio, and that only made it more fun for Spencer and I. We could hear the sounds of thunder roaring in the distance as we watched TV, occasionally wincing at every crack of lightning._

_Spencer flops down on my bed, laughing and smiling like always. "Come on!You should totally do the talent show!I bet you'd have lots of—"_

_My hand covers her mouth, getting kind of annoyed at the thought of doing the talent show._

_"Asnnny! bet ber fand daf by touth!" She's mumbled from underneath my hand, clearly not letting it stop her from convincing me to do it._

_I chuckled to myself, trying to understand the gibberish she said. Before I could notice it, Spencer's eyes darkened, and she sticks her tongue out against my hand._

_"Ew, Spence!" I squealed, running into my bathroom, and sticking out my arm like it was on fire. I'm now washing my hands with every hand soap I had. God, I was such a germophobe back then._

_I hear Spencer laughing in the distance, and glanced down at my soap covered hands with an idea. Fuck yeah, light bulb baby._

_I sneak out of my bathroom, making sure to leave the sink water running so I wouldn't get caught. Grinning down at my hands covered with soapy bubbles, I lift my head up to see Spencer laying down on my bed. Her laughing form facing away from me, laying on her back as she clutched her stomach. My smirk only gets bigger as I drew nearer towards the giggling blonde._

_I let my hands hover over her body, silently waiting for my moment._

_"Spenceee," I sung out slowly._

_Spencer's eyes open, quickly cocking her head upwards. Quickly, I bring my hands up to her face and blow as hard as I could. __She squeaks so loudly that I have to plug my ears. __Spencer jumps up and starts frantically rubbing the bubbles off her face with her shirt. __And me? Well, I'm on the floor of course. Laughing my ass off like an idiot._

_"You are so dead, Davies," She growls._

_I stop laughing._

_**(Spencer POV) **_

_I'd only been in the shower for about thirty minutes now, when I decided it best to end the longest shower of my life. Giggling to myself, I stepped out of the shower silently, and dired myself off. I then slipped on the expectantly light blue T-shirt and shorts Ashley had layed out for me. After all, blue was my favorite color._

_A few minutes had passed, and I'm now combing my hair. Then I stopped, hearing a voice singing softly in the distance._

_"Two AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake, can you help me unravel my latest mistake? I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season..."_

_My body freezes, and all I can hear is that voice for a second. As if in a trance, I absently dropped my brush on the floor, and moved towards the door. Feeling the need to hear more, I put my ear to the door straining to hear it._

_"Yeah, we walk through the doors, so accusing, their eyes. Like they have any right at all to criticize. Hypocrites. You're all here for the same reason..."_

_I slowly creaked the door open, and peered into the next room. Ashley's laying on her bed, and I think...Wow. It's Ash singing. I haven't heard her humming to herself a few times, but never really actually singing, you know? Man, her voice has changed so much. It's actually, kind of, amazing._

_I tip-toed over to her bed, sitting silently on a stool a few feet away. I smiled at how it giving me a full view of the singing girl, and continued getting lost in her voice._

_"There's a light at each end of this tunnel, you shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out. And these mistake you made, you'll just make them again. If you only try turning around..."_

_I studied my best friend's face then, in complete awe of how peaceful she looked in that moment. She must really love singing, but why hide such an amazing voice? Before I know it, I'm standing from the stool, and sitting down on my knees in front of her._

_"...2AM and i'm still awake, writing a song. If I get it down on paper, it's no longer inside of me threatening the life it belongs to. And I feel like I'm__ naked in front of a crowd, cause these words are my diary screaming out loud...and I know that you'll use them, however you want to..."_

_A tear falls from her closed eyes, instantly making mine narrow in concern. As if I had no control over my hand, it stretches out to wipe the tear away. Just then, her eyes shoot open, and take hold of my hand in panic._

_**(Ashley POV)**_

_As my eyes recognized the figure above me, I stayed silent, unconsciously grasping the hand tighter. Spencer's silent as well, though, the expression on her face told me she was worried as hell. __So, we stay there for a moment, frozen in time with my hand still clasped to hers above my face._

_Hesitantly, I let go of my best friend's hand, and sit up at the head of my bed. A few seconds pass, and Spencer's climbing onto the bed, sitting beside me. A warm hand covered my knee then, and my eyes close involuntarily._

_"Ashley," She's whispering now, much softer than I'd thought possible. "What's wrong?"_

_I said nothing, only holding my head down. She won't understand. Her family is happy. _

_"Tell me."_

_I meet Spencer's soft, demanding gaze, not wanting to make her mad. So, I nodded compliantly, and took a breath._

_"Mom and Dad are getting a divorce."_

_Her hand stiffens on my knee. "What?"_

_"They've been fighting nonstop for two months," I whispered, and my voice cracks. "This morning, it got bad, Spence...Mommy said she was going to take me away from my Dad." __Tears are stinging my eyes, but I can't look away from Spencer's pained expression. "From here...from you."_

_My best friend gaped at me, tears starting to brim her hurt, blue eyes. "W-What?"_

_It killed me then, hearing her stutter, and how much it'd hurt her to hear this. But for me, it hurt so much more. __My hand grips hers on my knee, trying to get her to take back her tears._

_"If they can't work things out, then..." I bit my lip. I can't even say the rest._

_She just shakes her head at me. "Why?Why c-can't you stay!"_

_My mouth opens to speak, but soon closes again. Instead, I pull her into a hug, and she cries into my shoulder for the next half hour. __Then, wordlessly, Spencer had pulled her head up from my chest. My brows furrowed in confusion as she reaches up to cradle my cheek._

_"I-I don't...want you to leave. You're not leaving—" __A deep breath. "If you go, I go. We're a packaged deal, whether they like it or not."_

_I almost laughed then, pressing a smiling kiss on her forehead before pulling back to eye her seriously._

_"I'm not going anywhere, Spence," I whispered, and I meant it. "I'm staying right here, with you."_

_Spencer sighed, grinning wistfully. I shifted onto the bed, pulling her down with me, and locked an arm around her waist as she melted into my side. We layed there, embracing each other until we fell asleep in each others arms._

_Two weeks later, my Dad dies in a car crash on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles._

_**End Of Flashback : **_

**_Snap, snap, snap._**

My eyes snapped open to see Kyla's fingers in front of my face.

"Huh, what?" I barked, shaking my head to wake myself up, and back to reality. "Did I fall asleep?"

Kyla gives me a look.

"What?"

"You were out of it for like 5 minutes, Ash!" She screams, leaning over to touch my forehead. I flinched, shrugging off her fingers when it started to hurt. "You like fainted or something out of nowhere. Thank god we hadn't started driving yet."

I stared in disbelief at my sister. "Really? No way."

Kyla rolls her eyes, pulling down the mirror and motioned for me too look. I lifted my head reluctantly, notcing a small bruise above my right eye. I must've hit my head against the window or something when I'd blacked out.

What. The. Hell.

Concern fills my sister's eyes as she reached over to inspect my head again. "Are you okay enough to go to school? I mean, I can go get—"

"No, it's okay," I stopped her, starting the ignition again. "I just—I just need to eat or something. Maybe coffee...yeah, that too."

Kyla's giving me the look again.

"I'm okay, Ky, really," I say, trying to assure her, but it isn't working. "Will it make you happy if I go to the nurse at lunch?"

"Yes," She answers.

I nodded. "Fine, then I'll do it."

I backed out of the driveway and proceeded down the road, and headed towards the nearest Starbucks. After picking up a bagel and coffee, we soon arrived at King High School.

_

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**R&R.**_


	10. Chap 10: The Games That Play Us

**Disclaimer : South isn't mine.**

**AN: If you aren't already aware, this highschool is Ohio is called Kigh High. Soo, the Middle/High school Ashley went to in L.A. will be changed. Just thought you'd wanna know.**

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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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Chapter Ten : The Games That Play Us

We pulled into the parking lot of the high school. As soon as I parked the car, Kyla's turning to me with a serious expression.

"Okay, be honest. How do I look?" She whispers, fixing her hair.

I fought an eye roll, throwing the car keys into my pocket. "Honestly?"

Kyla nods frantically.

My eyes roamed her face for a second, before my face twisted into mock horror. "Horrible!"

With that, I climb out of my Porsche, and walked away. Kyla looks scared for a moment before she scoffs, and does the same. As soon as she catches up to me, her hand smacks the back of my head.

"That was so uncalled for, Davies."

"Kyla, you're smokin' hot," I tell her, digging through my pockets for my sunglasses. "Sophomore _and_ Freshman boys will totally fawn over you."

She blushes, but quickly composes herself. "I've decided I'm going to start over, wipe the slightly slutty slate clean. We're juniors now, and these people don't even know me, or my past."

"We all make mistakes, Kyla," I say, dragging my sunglasses over my eyes to hide the sadness there. "Just have to accept them, and move on."

"You can too, you know," She adds, linking our arms. "These people don't know you anymore. When will we ever get another chance like this? Don't be afraid of them! Man up and be who you wanna be!" She swats my arm playfully.

"Okay, I'll try," I promised, leading her up the steps of King High. "God, when did you get all wise all of a sudden?"

Catching a few winks from a few Junior boys, Kyla blushes and giggles into my side. "I don't know, but I'm totally loving it!"

As soon as we find her locker, Kyla's literally squealing into my ear.

"Oh my gosh, our lockers are like two feet away from each other!" She squeaks, excitedly. "In L.A., we were like a building apart!THIS IS AWESOME!"

I put on a tight smile, excepting this kind of behavior from her. "Yeah, yeah. First period, Kyla. Let's go before we're late."

My hand finds hers quickly, dragging her along protectively. I remembered how these asses treated me the first day. I'll be damned if they hit Kyla in the face with a locker.

**RRRIINNNGG!**

Since Kyla and I have every class together—except cheer leading of course. I mean, come on—my opinion of how this school year is going to go has gotten so much more optimistic. Though, I still don't know what's going to happen with me and Spencer. I hadn't seen her in a few days because she'd went on a camping trip with her family. I hope she's here today. Since she had my first hour, I'd soon see her if she was.

As we head to music, I see the same door I froze in front of first day. Ironically, I'd come to love this class, along with Art. Though, mainly because Spencer was also in them. I threw my bag at my usual seat towards the back, walking with Kyla up to Ms. James' desk. The students are piling in now as the teacher finished talking to the student before us. Once she sees me and Kyla, the teacher smiles politely at my sister.

"You must be Kyla, Ashley's told me you were enrolling here," She greets, shaking Kyla's hand. "Well, you ready for 20 questions, so to speak?"

Kyla nods, but I could tell she was still nervous. The second day I was here, since I'd missed the first day, Ms. James told me she'd ask me questions in front of the class. And if the other students wanted to, they'd ask a few questions as well. She'd done it to everyone else the previous day. It was to let everyone get to know each other a little, and I reluctantly agreed. It wasn't that bad, I guess, but it wasn't the best experience in the world either.

She motions for Kyla to sit down on a stool that was against the white board, and called attention to the class. I gave her a thumbs up as I sat down in my chair. Kyla visibly swallows, but smiles anyway.

"I know this could be quite embarrassing, but it'll be over before you know it," Ms. James assures her, settling down on top of her desk. "Alright, first off. Wanna tell the class your name? Maybe where you came from?"

"Okay, well. I'm Kyla Woods," She says, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "My sister and I just moved here from Los Angeles. She's from here, but I was born in Texas."

"A Texan, huh? Very cool," Ms. James compliments, thinking of another question. "How about some hobbies?"

Kyla laughs, biting her lip in thought. "Oh, easy one. I like cheer leading, and painting. Oh, duh, and reading—love that. Actually, I plan to write in the future. Maybe a novel?"

"My sister's a writer, and she loves it," Ms. James added. "Alright, guess we'll take a few questions from the class. Then you're done."

"Oh, awesome," Kyla sighs in relief, relaxing against the white board.

The teacher motions to one of the raised hands scattered about the room.

"Is you're sister hot too?"

"Josh," Ms. James warns. I've come to learn from the past few days that he tends to say things without thinking them over first.

The boy just shrugs. "What?"

"Um, yeah, she's gorgeous," Kyla responds anyway. "But you've already met her, dude. Ashley Davies."

Josh's mouth falls open, turning his head to smirk at me, and I inwardly gag. He looks back at Kyla with raised eyebrows. "So hot."

Before he can say anything else, Kyla is the one who interrupts. "Okay, uh, next question."

"Wait, if you guys are sisters, why're you from different places?" Another boy asks, Jonathon.

"Same dad, different mom," Kyla says simply. "We met the year she moved down there, at our High School. It was very rough at first, but we got past it."

"Why'd you decide to move down here?" He presses on, curiously. If he wasn't cute, I think Kyla would've snapped at him by now.

"I don't know, my sister needed me," She replies, giving me a small smile.

"So, you're close?"

"Very close," She says. "We tell each other everything, even the things we keep from everyone else. No secrets with us, just how we roll."

"Well, if you're so close," A familiar snarky voice pipes up from the front of the class. "Did she ever tell you the real reason she left Ohio?"

My eyes instantly fall onto the dark, Latino skin and cheer leading outfit the girl was wearing. Ugh, Madison.

"I think that's her business, don't you?" Kyla nearly barks back, recognizing the girl from a picture I'd shown her a few years back. She knew what Madison did to me and Spencer...I just hadn't told her about the Spencer part yet.

My eyes narrowed in silent anger, remembering exactly what she'd put us through.

**Flashback :**

_It was in January, and Fifth grade only had about four months to go, when I first met Madison Duarte._

_I had been swinging by myself at the park when she came up to me. I remebered looking up at her, and wondering why she never stopped playing with her slightly frizzed hair. She'd only been in school for a few weeks, a new kid._

_"Why are you here by yourself?" She'd asked me, bluntly._

_"I had I fight with my best friend a few days ago," I whispered before I could stop myself. "We haven't really talked since..."_

_"Oh. Well, I'm here," She says, giving me a smile. "You can talk to me. __Whats your name?"_

_"Ashley. What's yours?"_

_"Madison." She sits down on the swing beside me, holding out her hand. __Reluctantly, I shook her tiny hand. Before I knew it, I was smiling._

_Weeks go by, and I still hadn't spoken a word to my best friend. It hurt like hell, but luckily, Madison was there as a distraction. We'd started to hang out more, especially with the popular people. When I'd see Spencer in the hallways at school, she'd just look at me with those hurt eyes for only a second before looking away. I knew what she must've feared, that I was going to be one of Madison's minions. I told myself that I would never be one of those girls, that Madison was actually a good person once you got to know her. I just thought she was jealous that I'd become popular, but one day that all changed. Once I saw Madison's true colors._

_We're eating lunch at our usual table, surrounded by popular other students. My eyes only drifted for only a second, just enough to see the sadness in her eyes again. They'd lost the amazing blue and twinkle in them, and I silently hated myself for taking that away. She's so close to crying that my heart breaks in my chest. __Madison's eyes follow mine for a second, eyes narrowing, before whispering to one of the girl's around her. She really didn't like Spencer either, so I didn't think anything of it._

_"Hey Ash?" She calls out to me, and I turned around to look at her. __"Didn't you forget your sketchbook in math?"_

_"Oh crap!" I yelled, dashing out of the cafeteria in hopes of no one finding it._

**_(No one's POV)_**

_Madison crosses her arms, waiting patiently as the teacher walks out of the cafeteria. There was only them and a few others beside Spencer let inside the cafeteria now. Standing up along with her minions, she struts over to where Spencer's eating. She's silently reading a book to herself, and sipping her apple juice box. Spencer lifts up her head to see four evil smirks directly in front of her._

_"Well, well, well," Madison draws out, grabbing Spencer's book and tossing it behind her to one of the girls._

_"W-What do you want Madison?" Spencer asked, standing up._

_Madison grunts and steps forward, backing the stammering girl closer to the wall behind her. __"Wh-wh-what? Speak clearly, retard."_

_Spencer's eyes flash, and Madison rolls hers in annoyance, pushing Spencer against the wall. "I want you to stop messing with Ashley. If you haven't noticed, she's with me now. My friend, not yours."_

_Spencer shakes her head. "I don't know what you're talking—"_

_"Bull, Special Ed, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Madison sneers. "__I see you staring at her everyday, it's gross. Can't you see she's not like you?" She pokes Spencer in her shoulder hard."You got me!"_

_Ashley entered the cafeteria then, glancing around to see Madison and some girls surrounding Spencer's table._

**_(Ashley POV)_**

_My ears pick up their insults as they touched her hair and messed with her clothes. It didn't matter that we were fighting, or any of that, all that mattered was that they were hurting Spencer._

_My fists coiled angrily, sprinting towards the heard of girls. I tear Madison's hand form Spencer's shoulder, finding myself standing in front of the stunned girl protectively. __"Madison! What the hell are you doing!"_

_"Telling this freak to stop gawking at you! She's disgusting."_

_"You're one to talk," Spencer muttered behind me;I almost smiled. __That's when Madison raised her fist, pissed off at the insult. Spencer winces, grasping onto me with everything she has._

_Madison springs back on her heels, confused by the action. __"What, you're taking the freaks side over mine?"_

_"Yeah, guess I am," I whispered, disbelieving that I'd ever saw anything good in the Latina. "She's more of a friend to me, then you will EVER be. God, this is wrong, Madison. You know that!"_

_I turned my back on the girl, feeling my eyes water just seeing Spencer's broken expression. I reached out my hand to her, but Spencer doesn't take it. I felt my heart sink at the rejection. With tears rimming her blue eyes, Spencer's head shakes at me, and she crumbles onto the floor. __I get on my knees, inching towards the defeated blonde. The way she looks at me then makes me feel like she didn't even know me anymore._

_"You lied to me...," She says, dejectedly. _

_"I know," I whispered, wanting nothing but to take these past few weeks back. "I swear to you, it'll never happen again. I'm so sorry, Spence."_

_That was one of the worst feelings in the world, knowing that you could lose your best friend like that. After a moment, when I'd given up on my hope, I feel Spencer's hand slide into mine. __Blue eyes glittered up at me, and I feel like I'm five years old again._

_"Don't do it again," She whispers back._

_An exasperated breath leaves my lips, and I felt myself smile in relief. I pulled the both of us to our feet, and we soon __walked pass Madison. But Spencer's hand stop me. Her revenge filled eyes resting into my own before she go, and stepping towards Madison. Spencer just stares at her for a second before coiling back her hand. The force of her hand against Madison's face snaps her head to the side, making the girl stumble to the ground holding her face in pain._

_We exit the cafeteria then, flushed grins painted on our faces. __Until the day I left, the next year would be filled with Madison mumbling snide comments in the hall and in the classroom. Everything to make our life's hell. Then, the day I left, I asked a few friends to keep an eye on Spencer for me. Though he hadn't left on good terms, Spencer and me, I still wanted to protect her. I promised her, after all._

_**End Of Flashback :**_

"Leave it alone, Mads," I demanded, through clenched teeth.

Madison's evil smirk focused on me then, and I lifted myself off of my chair, and crossed my arms.

The Latina laughed maliciously. "Did I strike a nerve, Davies?"

"Now, now, retract your claws girls," Ms. James interrupted, hopping off her desk. "Do you know each other?"

"Sadly, we do," I replied, my anger seething. Kyla's by my side within seconds, already prepared to defend me if she has to.

"It's been a long time, huh, Davies?" Madison adds, her top lip twitching in disgust. "How's your life partner these days?"

My fists clenched against my arms, but I don't respond. She's not worth it, Ashley, just calm—

"What, she didn't take you back?" Madison fired again, blowing any self will out of window.

"Okay, if you don't kick her ass, I will," Kyla's hissing under her breath.

"You got your sis fighting your battles now?" Madison asks, standing up from her chair to glower over at us. She really had some nerve. I mean, one, this wasn't fifth grade anymore. And two, Kyla's taken karate lessons for six years. She_ really _doesn't want to mess with us. "Since your dyke doesn't love you anymore?"

We had been so wrapped up in our quarrel, we didn't bother to hear the door open in the back of the classroom. My feet are moving, stopping until I was face to face with Madison, grabbing onto her collar. Ms. James is quick to pull me away, keeping us at am arm's distance.

"Don't you _dare_ call her that," I sneered, feeling Kyla's hand on my arm.

"Oh, why do you even care?" Madison shot back, and my jaw clenched. She laughs, the evil grin she was sporting getting bigger. "Well, isn't that sweet, you—"

"You don't know what you're talking about," I spat out, wanting to rip it off her face.

Kyla steps infront of me, cracking her knuckles. "Alright, Shikira, shut you're trap now before I shut it for you."

At that moment, I swear I saw a hint of fear in Madison's eyes.

"I'd stop talking now if I were you, Madison," A familiar voice replied from the back of the room. "I know a lot of your dirty secrets."

I smiled to myself, feeling a soft hand on my shoulder as Spencer stands civilly beside me.

Madison huffs, crossing her arms at Spencer. "Glad you joined us little Spence. Your girlfriend and I here were just talking about you."

"Great to see you too," Spencer replied, leveling a discreet nod at the Latina. "Which reminds me, do you remember when we went along with the football players to the away game?"

For the first time, Madison's caught off guard, shifting nervously on her feet. Spencer's eyes lowered to mine, telling me to continue, which I oblige gladly.

"Yeah, you remember that don't you?" I asked, the one smirking now. "Now you wouldn't want me to tell what you did—photographed—in the back of the bus?"

Her obviously worried expression only fueled the fire. "You wouldn't."

Spencer raises a challenging eyebrow. "Oh, wouldn't we?"

Ms. James finally chimes in, pushing Madison back down in her seat. "You hand no right to be so childish, you should be ashamed of yourself. Madison, I suggest you sit down and keep your comments to yourself, or I will personally help to suspend you this time."

My jaw drops, reaching a hand behind me, and giving Kyla a silent high five. We watched as Madison scoffs and storms out of the room with Ms. James in tow, who gives Spencer and I a wink before shutting the door. As soon as the door shuts, the class in buzzing with new gossip and whispers of what they'd just witnessed.

We sat down then, taking the three empty seats I'd saved at the beginning of class, with Spencer and Kyla on either side of me.

"So, what'd I miss?" She asked, sarcastically.

Kyla snorts. "Some dumb bitch was calling Ashley out. I swear I would've kicked her ass if—"

I hold a hand to my sister, begging her to a stop. "Spencer, this is my sister, Kyla. Kyla, this is Spencer. My...an old friend."

Spencer's surprised, to say the least, leaning over to shake her hand. "Wow. I mean, I didn't know—Well, it's nice to meet you, Kyla."

"Likewise," She says, smilingly knowingly at the two of us. An awkward giggle passes my lips, seeing the smile. I knew I'd have some explaining to do later.

Leaning back in my chair, I let out an exhausted breath, instantly catching Spencer's bemused grin. I knew she'd felt the exact same, we all did. Drama can take a lot out of you sometimes.

"So, what happened between you too?" Kyla inquired, and my head snaps back at her so fast it gave me a cramp.

"What?" Both Spencer and I had muttered at the exact time. Guess I was hoping too much with having to tell her later.

Kyla gives us a look. "I mean, what's the story? Clearly, big Sis left out a major plot point of her life that I hadn't known about. Now spill."

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Glancing towards Spencer, I could see that she was having trouble putting our story into words also.

We were both speechless.

How the hell was I going to explain this?

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**R&R.**


	11. Chap 11:Curiosity killed the cat

**Disclaimer Still Stands.**

**____*************  
****____********UPDATE: EDITED.  
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Chapter Eleven : Curiosity Killed The Cat, But For Awhile I Was A Suspect.

We'd spent the rest of the class today talking really. Though, we were mainly just averting the real question in the air. But I'm sure Kyla is going to grill me about the details later. Spence and I couldn't stop looking at each other the whole time, which just made it worse. Because Kyla would look at me with that damn smirk which would only make me blush uncontrollably from embarrassment.

After first period was over, Spencer and I had to part ways for four more periods until lunchtime. Throughout the day, we'd see each other in the halls and sent little playful glances towards one another. Then there were the ways she'd put her hand against the small of my back when we'd try and get through the crowded hallways. Honestly, it was torture having her that close to me. But then again, it was kind of heaven too.

Seventh period rolled around slowly after that, and I immediately take back how torturing it was in the hallways. Because watching Spencer during PE on the bleachers in the gym, while I tried to focus on my homework for Study Hall, nearly killed me. Though, on the plus side, seeing her get all sweaty from running laps, and how flexible she was...Oh, god. I need help.

Exiting the gym, I turned around to the sound of my name being called. Spencer's sprinting over—in her gym clothes. It was very, very hard to form coherent thoughts in that moment. Once she's only a few feet away, Spencer drops her hands onto her knees in exhaustion. I watched her for a few seconds as her chest heaved up and down erratically. (what?)

"Hey Ash," She rasps out, smiling tiredly up at me.

I waved slightly. "Heya, Spence. You okay there?"

"Uh, yeah. I was just-just going to..."

Once she tried to stand up straight again, Spencer looses her balance and falls downward. Before her body has a chance to hit the ground, I'm already there wrapping my arms around her waist. Pressing her front more against mine, I struggled to hold the exhausted girl up. Luckily, Spencer soon regained some of her balance and supported herself on her feet once more.

"Are you okay?"I asked her again, keeping an arm near her just in case.

She smiles dismissively. "Yeah, I'm fine. I-I just...It was too hot in there, is all."

"At least let me take you home, please," I suggest, seeing the indecision on her face. I couldn't hide the concern in my voice then, and she notices it too. "You nearly fainted. You're getting into my car, one way or another, Spence."

Before she can protest, I grab her hand, and pulled her in the direction of my Porsche across the street. She's tugging at our locked hands the entire time, and I only hold her hand tighter. I opened the passenger door, but she doesn't get in.

"Don't make me push you," I threatened with a shrug. "Because I will."

Spencer just sighs, eyeing the inside of my car suspiciously. What, it's not like I'm some 40 year old pervert wanting to give her a ride. Jesus, Spencer.

"Go on, Spence," I urged, winking mischievously. "I won't bite."

This gets me a small giggle as her frown breaks, and she climbs into the passenger seat.

"Much," I added, shutting the door. Spencer's laughing louder now, smiling at me as I slid into the driver's seat next to her.

...

Parking against the curb outside Spencer's house, I twist my keys in the ignition, shutting off engine.

"I don't get it," I confessed after a minute of silence. Spencer just looks at me, confused.

"You hated PE, Spence. Like really hated it," I whispered, half to myself. "And now it's like two of your classes, and now I'm worried that your some adrenaline buff who overworks herself. It just doesn't make sense."

I look at Spencer, and she's smiling at me. I swear I didn't say anything remotely amusing in all of that.

"Ash, running and all that stuff," She says, biting her lip to stop herself from grinning. "It was the only thing that could make me breathe again, after you left."

_Oh._ "Oh."

"And today, I don't know what happened," She whispers, leaning her head back against the seat. "I don't feel like I need all the running anymore. I can breathe without it again."

"Really?" I whispered, practically beaming at the meaning behind her words. Cocking an eyebrow, I smirk at my best friend. "So, I literally took your breath away, huh?"

Spencer huffs, blushing. "But yes, I guess you did." Then, she's leaning over to open the door. "Well, thanks for helping me, and for the ride."

"Hey, it's my job," I say, watching her hop out, and shut the door. "I mean, what else am I gonna do?"

Rolling her eyes, and waving me goodbye, Spencer walks away towards her home. I sighed, watching her disappear behind her front door and started the car again. I'd only gotten halfway down the next block, when I saw something flashing brightly in the floorboard on the passenger side. I reach around, and dug for the object, realizing it was a cell phone. Must've fell out of Spencer's gym bag. Turning the car around, I proceeded back to Spencer's house.

I walk up slowly to the door, and reluctantly rung the door bell. After a moment, the door swings open, and I'm enveloped in a strong bear hug by none other than Glenn Carlin.

"Ashley Davies, god, it's been awhile," He says, pulling away, and I almost giggle at his scruffy chin. "Hell, come in. Does Spencer know you're here?"

Glenn drags me into the living room where I see a much older Arthur Carlin, and Clay sitting on the couch. The older man's face lights up instantly, and I grinned back, walking up to him.

"How ya been old man?" I asked, sitting down on the arm of the couch, and patted his pack.

"I'm great, Ashley," He says, pulling me down for a quick embrace. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd come back."

Footsteps are skipping down the stairs, and I hear Spencer's voice."Did someone say my—" She skids to a stop, seeing her brothers crowding around the couch. They move aside, revealing me sitting there.

I waved. "Hey, Spence."

"Ash, why are you—" She started to ask as I walked over to her, handing her the phone. She smiles. "Thanks."

In realization of the quietness around us, we turned around to see that we were being watched.

"What?" We'd said in unison, a little creeped out by the smiles on their faces.

Glen laughs, smiling his dopey smile. "Just like old times."

"Come on," Clay says, dragging me back to the couch. "I wanna know what you've been up to since you left."

After an hour, I glanced down to my watch. "I gotta get home guys. Mom and Kyla must be freaking out. I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"

I stand from the couch, my eyes falling to Spencer, who only nodded. She's looking to the floor, she's been doing it the whole time I was talking. I'm halfway out of the Carlin's house, shutting the door behind me, when someones hand on my arm stops me. Spencer's body emerges from behind the door, and steps outside.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to say goodnight," She whispered, shutting the door behind her.

I decide the blunt approach is best. "Why didn't you say anything in there?"

Spencer's mouth opens and closes for a second, crossing her arms defensibly. "What am I suppose to say, Ash? Am I suppose to be happy that you made new friends that got to share and experience all those things with you? I mean, it was suppose to be me and you, taking on the world, remember? But everything just got all—"

"Fucked up, complicated," I listed off, softly, and shrugged. "Maybe it can still happen."

Spencer's eyes snap up at me. "Maybe?"

"Yeah, I mean," I admitted, a low breath escaping my lips. "But a lot's changed now, you know?"

"What's changed? Other than the obvious," She starts.

I throw my hands up, frustration bleeding into my voice. "Everything, Spence. I have. You."

She nods tightly, wincing at the accusation. Because it was true, three years can change a person. My eyes meet hers briefly, feeling an immediately sense of butterflies, and quickly averted my eyes. There it was again, the most important complication. I backed away from her, lowering myself down on the porch steps. Spencer's right there settling beside me, silently wrapping her arms around herself.

"There are so many things I want to say to you."

The declaration sits between us heavily, and no one speaks for a long minute. Spencer pursed her lips, moving head up and down slowly in confirmation.

"Then say them," She whispers.

"I'm afraid," I whisper back, hating how vulnerable it made me feel to admit it. "Because I don't know what will happen to us after."

"You'll still be my best friend, Ashley," Spencer says lightly, giving me a pointed shrug. "I'm sorry, but you're stuck with me." I snorted. "So, you gonna tell me one of your deep dark secrets? Or am I going to have to guess?"

"Ugh, god. Fine." I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Seriously though, don't freak out."

She blinks, amused. "Promise."

"Well, first of all. I'm gay...," I mumbled, closing my eyes tightly. After a second silence, I squinted to see Spencer look down at her lap with a weird grin on her face. What? She's seriously smiling right now? Then, as if it couldn't get any more weirder, Spencer gives me a hug.

"I'm glad you told me," She whispers into my ear, and pulled away from me, still smiling. "You really thought I'd freak out?"

"Kinda?" I answered, lamely. "Sorry, I just have a tendency to over analyze things I guess."

"How long have you known?" She asks me, seriously.

"Awhile, okay, a long time," I say, still feeling like it was too vague. "Like years."

"Years?" Both of her eyebrows raise in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I think we've already established that I'm a major pussy," I explained, in an obvious tone. "And I _was_ going to tell you. I just never got the chance."

"Right, right," She says, looking distracted now. For a second, it looks like she was going to say something else, but she stays quiet.

My eyes narrowed, honing in on the change. "What?"

Her expression twisted then, into some weird mix of indifference and determination. Feeling a hand cover mine on the edge of the steps, I stare down at our curled fingers for a second, almost too dazed to meet my best friend's eyes.

She was looking at me, right into my eyes, taking in a deep breath to speak. "Ashley, there's something—"

_Yeah, here's she comes again_

_digging beneath my skin_

_and she haunts me like a ghost..._

"Shit, sorry," I grumbled, pulling out my cellphone, and seeing the name on the Caller ID. "It was Kyla, she'd called two times already."

The way Spencer's face fell then didn't go unnoticed, and I would've said something, but my phone's ringing again. Groaning, I shut it off, and threw it back into my jacket pocket.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Spencer's standing to her feet. "You should go."

I just stared up at her for a second, before doing the same. "So, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," She says, turning away from me to go inside.

"Hey, Spence? We're okay right?"

Spencer's hand stopped on the door nob, glancing over her shoulder to give me a shy smile. "We're perfect...Goodnight, Ashley."

"Night, Spence," I whispered, seeing her disappear behind her front door for the second time.

I trudged back to my Porsche, not sure what I should be feeling at the moment. On one hand, I'd just come out to my best friend. I should be totally relieved, which I kind of am. But I still couldn't shake how Spencer was acting before I left. It felt like there was so much more we needed to talk about.

When I get home, I'm met by a scowling Mom and Kyla sitting on the couch. Once Kyla sees me, I'm practically being tackled to the ground, while my mom only sighed in relief before announcing she was going to sleep.

"Dude, where the hell were you? You never came home, didn't call, or—"

I pushed my sister off before she can scream anymore. I dusted off my clothes, and sit down on the couch.

"Can we save the 20 questions until after I sleep?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

Kyla sits beside me. "Where were you?"

"With Spencer," I mumbled.

Kyla gives me a look and grabs my arm, pulling us up the stairs, and into my room. Seeing my bed, I smiled, sinking myself down in it and groaned happily.

My sister locks my door. "What's wrong?"

I only grunted in response.

"Oh, no you don't," She says, smacking me feet. "You are going to tell me what happened right now, Davies."

Ugh, fine.

"Saw Spencer, Spencer fainted, gave her a ride home," I started, "talked with her family, came out to Spencer, drove home. Oh, and once all of that hit me, I had a panic attack on the way."

I lifted my head up to find Kyla's eyes as wide as saucers.

"Tada."

She laughs, running a hand through her tangled short hair. "You really like her, huh? I mean, no wonder you never told me about her."

I rolled my eyes. "I was getting around to it, okay?"

"So, she's the reason why you left Ohio without a fight?" Kyla questions, with knowing eyes. "Something really bad went down, didn't it?"

I swallowed. "You have no idea."

Kyla nods, not wanting to open that can of beans just yet. "Does she like you too?"

"It feels like it sometimes," I whispered, sitting up on the bed. "Like when she looks at me, you know? But Spence, she never kept things from me when we were kids...not until right before I left. Even so, wouldn't she had told me if she did?"

"Did you tell her?"

"No," I answered.

"Exactly," She continues, stroking her chin as she stared at the ceiling above us in thought. "Guess you've liked her for awhile, maybe like, year wise. I mean, you did say her name all those damn—"

"Wait, what?" I squeaked, my voice raising a couple octaves. "When the hell?"

"Sometimes, when I'd catch you having a nightmare, you'd say her name," She supplies, dismissing my flustered cheeks. "Oh, and the asleep thing, you said her name then too."

My jaw dropped. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I forgot?" She answers, innociently. I scoffed, narrowing my eyes at the petite girl as she only shrugged. "So, what, you guys were like BFF's or something?"

"Pretty much," I sighed, falling back into my covers. "We met on a playground when we were five, and been friends ever since. Or, until three years ago."

"When did you start, you know?" She asks, raising her eyebrows up and down suggestively. "Oggling her goodies?"

"We were barely in middle school!" I yelled, offended. "God, Ky, I'm not that perverted."

Kyla just watches me, tilting her head in thought. "So, around there?"

My lips turned down. "Yeah."

A minute passes before I feel the weight shift off of the bed as Kyla stands to her feet, and sprints out of the room without a word. When she reappears, I notice that she's carrying her cellphone and my black book that I'd kept my numbers in. My eyes were glued to the contents in her hands, slightly worried about their uses.

"What are you doing?"

Kyla dumps the cellphone and black book at my feet, hands on her hips. "I need to get you two dead ringers to—I don't know—see if the rainbow flag's wavin' in both camps."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"That's gay humor, Ash," She snaps, like it was obvious. "God, what kind of baby dyke are you?"

Rolling her eyes at me, Kyla picks up her cellphone, and starts pounding keys. Realization dawning on me, I threw myself off the bed.

"Please, _please_, tell me you're not calling who I think you're calling?"

She held out a finger to me, trying to concentrate on dialing the right number. "Gotta get you two to see the gay light, if you will. So, since tomorrow's the conference thing at school, we all could go to a movie or something. While doing as such, I'm going to get the scoop from both side-lines."

"Kyla, for the love of—" She shushes me. "But I don't want—" She shushes me once more. "You can't seriously be—"

"Zip it, Davies!" She screams, flicking me on the forehead to shut me up. She's dialing again. "You _are_ going, end of discussion. Now, let's call her and ask."

My eyes widened, and I charged for the phone. But I'm only to be met with Kyla's palm against my forehead, pushing me away firmly with just her arm with some weird man strength I hadn't realized she possessed.

"It's ringing," She sings out, pushing me back onto the bed, prancing about around me. Once I hear Spencer's muffled voice answer, I'm lunging for the phone again, but Kyla's there to tackle me back into the bed.

"Spencer? It's Kyla. Yeah, Ashley's sister," She breaths into the receiver, throwing a pillow at me as she scrambled off the bed. "Well, _we_ were wondering since school's out tomorrow, if you'd like to join us to hang out...What? Oh, yeah. It was _totally_ Ashley's idea...Great!Oh sure, here she is."

Before I can even blink, Kyla's tossing me the phone, and darting out of my bedroom. I'd fumbled with the tiny cellphone for a few seconds, nearly dropping it twice while I juggled it in the air.

"_Hello_?"

I cursed under my breath, getting a firm grasp onto the metal device and jerking it to my ear. "Hello?"

Hearing this, I hit my forehead against my hand, regretting ever speaking. The word had left my mouth a little too harsh and annoyed that I'd intended it to.

"_Are you okay?_"

"Sorry, having phone war over here," I muttered, cringing at how lame it must've sounded. Wanting to find a fast distraction from my shame, I cleared my throat awkwardly. "So, are you coming tomorrow?"

There's a moment of silence as she pondered the question. "_If you want me to, then I'm there. What time?_"

A stupid smile smacks across my face. "Oh, I don't know. Around three?"

"_Sounds like a plan_," She whispers, and I can just imagine her smiling as well. "_Goodnight, Ash_."

"Sweet dreams, Carlin," I hummed, flipping the cellphone closed. I fall onto my bed smiling, and eagerly awaiting the dreams to come.

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**R&R.**


	12. Chap 12: It Is Bitter To Lose

**Disclaimer still stands.**

**____*************  
****____********UPDATE: EDITED.  
***********

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**Chapter Twelve : It Is Bitter To Lose A Friend To Evil, Before One Loses Them To Death**

**(Ashley POV)**

I woke up the next morning from a nightmare.

It completely terrified me, so much so that I couldn't go back to sleep even if I wanted to. But the fact that it was a nightmare wasn't what really caused me to be so scared. It was the realness of the dream. I remember running. I had been running to fast, pushing through these huge clumps of people going the opposite direction as me. It felt like I was searching for something or someone, thinking nothing else other that finding whatever I was looking for. I could hear my heart beating, and my deep breathes as I ran. It ended there, just with me running desperately through those nameless people...

Now, as I stepped down the stairs of my home, I couldn't help but get the feeling that something big was going to do down today. I didn't know what, or how, or when. It just felt like something bad, and I couldn't shake it. I trudged into the kitchen, still kind of dazed from the nightmare. Kyla's sitting at the counter, stuffing her face with a bowl of Cocoa Puffs.

"Hey Ash," She chokes out between bites.

This tickles my throat, and I'm soon giggling as I reached for the box of Fruit Loops off the counter top. Which is just terribly ironic that it's my first choice. I settle myself down on a stool aside from Kyla, silently pouring my cereal into a bowl.

"So, when are we picking up your girl?" She asks, already done with her breakfast.

I rolled my eyes. "She's not my girl Ky."

"_Not yet_. All I'm saying if that if all goes well then—"

I plug my ears, forcing myself not to hear whatever was said next. "Dude, shut up. You're gonna jinx me!"

"Superstitious retard," She scoffs, standing up. I took one last spoonful of fruit loops before standing up along with her.

"Okay, we're gonna pick Spencer up in about four hours," I tell her as we walked back up the stairs. "So, I have to take a shower, do my hair, get dressed, charge my ipod—"

She shushed me, pushing me towards the bathroom. "Don't take all the hot water this time, or I'm flushing the toilet."

...

On the way to Spencer's house, we were discussing how today would go in Kyla's newly acquired black SUV that we had to take if we wanted Glenn and Clay to come along as well.

"Where are we going today?" Kyla asks, turning off the radio. "Park, Movies? Oh, how about the carnival in Forest Park? I know it's like two towns away but it's worth it."

I instantly smiled at the mention of a carnival. "_Definitely_ the carnival. Spencer loved going to those and getting prizes. Like this one time, she spent all her money to win this necklace to give me for my birthday. Best Friends Forever. It was cheesy, yes, but that's what made it so sweet. I told her I'd get her one just like it..."

I sighed, leaning my head against the seat. "But I left before the next one came...Maybe I can make it up to her now?"

Kyla smiled. "I think she'd love that, Ash."

Minutes later, we're pulling up to Spencer's house, and Kyla's shutting off the engine.

"Honk the horn or doorbell?"I asked, turning to her. Kyla only shrugs, giving me an annoyed look. "Ugh, fine. I'll just go get her."

I open the door and climbed out of the SUV, and Kyla turns on the radio again, leaning back in the drivers seat. Halfway there, I chicken out and rush back over to the car. I pried the driver side door open, scaring the shit out of my sister in the process. Ignoring her scream of surprise, I pulled her out, and drug her towards Spencer's house with me.

"Sorry Ky," I whispered, smiling nervously. "You got me into this, so your coming with."

We rung the doorbell, and waited. After a moment, the door opens to reveal Glenn. Once he sees Kyla, he's smirks, and leans against the door frame. After suggesting I introduce him, he winks at my sister who shifts uncomfortably beside me.

"Glenn, this is my sister Kyla. Kyla this is Spencer's brother, Glenn," I explained in a monotone voice, rolling my eyes. Footsteps approach from inside the house, and move Glenn moves aside. I smiled, leaning into the door frame to bump fists with Clay who hands Glenn his coat.

"So, where's Mr. C?" I asked, "Is he coming too?"

"Yeah, he's meeting us there," Glenn answers, raising a suggestive eyebrow at Kyla. "Wanna share the backseat?"

"Um, no thanks," She mutters, clearing her throat awkwardly under his creepy stare. "I'm driving."

"Hey guys, are we ready?"

My ears perk up instantly at Spencer's voice in the distance, feeling my whole mood brighten just seeing the girl coming into view in the doorway. My breath stops in my throat, taking in what she was wearing. Spencer's long brown hair was curled loosely over her shoulders, framing beautifully around her face. I left my eyes drift down. She wore a white baby doll dress with a low neckline that was driving me crazy and light blue jeans which was covered by a long black overcoat, light-blue scarf, and flats. Only Spencer could think to put all of that together in genius, and it be a complete accident. All I knew at that moment was that Spencer looked gorgeous—Hell, she fucking looked _hot_.

I felt Kyla's hand closing my open mouth, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"You're drooling," She whispers, smirking at my obvious staring.

I tear my eyes from Spencer, and nudge her side, feeling my face burning from embarrassment. After a second, I'm lifting my eyes to catch Spencer's soft giggle as she stared at us in amusement.

"Okay, guys, I think we should get going," Clay announces, pushing his siblings out of the door frame and locking the door. "The carnival's gonna start soon."

I smiled, seeing how Spencer's eyes twinkled when she heard the word _carnival_. I let the three of them go ahead of us to the car, feeling Spencer's hand on my arm. The childish smile she was wearing literally made me inwardly swoon at her adorableness.

"We're going to the carnival?"

"Um, yeah. Well, I knew you'd want to go," I reasoned, hearing the words tumbling out of my mouth anxiously. "I mean, you liked them when we were...I just assumed that you'd—Great, I'm babbling. It's just seeing you, well, like this—"

Spencer's hand covers my mouth then, shaking her head at me before leaning in to press a soft kiss into my cheek. I grinned widely, letting her pull me by the hand towards Kyla's SUV.

...

We get at what we'd believed was the carnival an hour later. Now, as the herds and herds of people were ransacking the place, we realized it had grown into a full-on riot in Forest Park. Hundreds of heads and bodies roamed around in every direction, setting fires and trashing stands, ticket booths, and rides.

Parking the SUV in what looked like a safer spot, we scrambled cautiously out of the SUV as we surveyed the chaos around us. Loud shrilling screams pierced the air close to us, making Spencer shift closer, and take hold of my hand. When I felt her squeeze my hand, I turned to meet her terrified eyes.

"Dad's out there," She whispers, letting go of my hand.

Before I can even comprehend what was happening, Spencer was sprinting into the madness around us, and disappearing into the sea of people. My eyes widened in disbelief, scanning the crowd.

"SPENCER! GET BACK HERE!" I screamed out, feeling lightheaded.

Once we were over the initial shock of Spencer leaving, we decided to split into groups. Glenn and Kyla would look for his dad, while Clay and I searched for Spencer. As the four of us split up, Clay and I run directly toward the Ferris-Wheel and the surrounding stands to look at first. As we go, we're dodging rioters left and right, trying to stay clear of their anger. As we searched the stands, my eyes drifted to a deserted one who's merchendice was sprawled out all over the place.

That's when I noticed, beyond the rubble, was a familiar jewelry set. I stepped closer inside the booth, bending over to pick up a necklace. A necklace that was freakishly similar to the one she'd got me years ago, the one I could never give her in return.

I squeezed the necklace tightly in my palm, making my way back to where Clay was searching a few booths down. I trudge through the sea of bodies getting closer to him by the second, but suddenly, I'm being pushed in a different direction as the people around us started to thrash around, instantly separating the two of us.

I can hear him screaming my name, but failing to fight the crowd off. Just as I see him within the million arms pulling us in all directions, I opened my mouth to call out to him. That's when I feel someone grab my ass, gripping onto my upper thigh too tightly, and I cried out in pain. Remembering the mace in my jacket pocket, my hand jerked inside the fabric, pulling the tube out quickly. I turn around, spraying the guy behind me, and watched as he fumbled back onto the ground and screamed. Taking the open window I'd given myself, I fought faster through the people around me.

But just when I think I've gotten away, a rough arm grabs me shoulder, shoving me to the ground face first. Fire breaks out on the side of my face as it scraped against the asphalt. I groaned, looking up to see the guy I'd maced just seconds ago. Through squinted, reddened eyes, I can see how angry he was. My eyes darted to the two men behind him as they reached out at me, pulling me through the remaining people surging around us.

That's when my survival mode kicked in, and everything focused in an induced panic in my head. From what I could gather through my kicks and screams as I fought against the three men, I knew they hadn't drug me far. Though, everything was whipping past me from the ground, I could tell it was at least fifty feet away, and that the field around me was behind some vacant stand.

Before I could notice anything else, I was knocked out.

**(Spencer POV)**

Not even ten minutes after I'd left the others, I'd found my dad. And now, 15 minutes later, the riot had simmered down to where only less than a hundred people were left roaming the park. We walked carefully in the general direction of Kyla's SUV, which I'm not entirely sure is still even there. As I squinted through the smoke filled carnival, I saw Kyla and Glen running over to us breathing heavily.

"I'm glad we found you!" Glenn says, holding his heaving chest."Where's Clay and Ashley?"

That's when Glenn lifted his head, looking at something behind me. I turned around to see Clay walking over sporting a swollen black eye. I stepped closer toward my brother, giving him a questioning look. The expression on my older brother's face is unreadable, and it makes my heart sink in my chest because that means he doesn't know where Ashley is. Clay opens up his palm wordlessly, dropping a small object into my hand. I focused my watery eyes, running my fingers over the engraved necklace. _Best friends forever. _Red had stained some of the metal; Blood.

Oh, god.

An anger bubbled inside me, and I raised my fists to pound against my brothers chest, screaming out to him. "Clay!Tell me, damnit! Where is she?"

I screamed the words over and over again, feeling tears running down my face. I continued to rap my fists against him until my arms got tired, and I just let myself cry into his chest. Soon after that, once I was calmed down, we all set out to find Ashley.

**(Ashley POV)**

I'm awakened by a hard slap against my left cheek, followed by being slammed down onto the concrete on my back. An agonizing pain engulfs my entire back, and I can't move without the fire spreading all over my body. Tears spring from my eyes as a mangled scream catches in my throat as the pain continued to pulsate through my limbs.

I jerked my head to glance around me, feeling my face twist at the surge of pain rippling my neck and back. I was out numbered, one to four. On the ground I look up to the bigger man leaning over me, and taking hold of my collar to pull me up closer to his face. I moaned, biting my lip to keep from screaming;Blood cakes my the inside of my mouth.

"Listen up Bitch," He bites out, slapping my face once more. "The dumb ass you maced over there is my brother. Thanks to you, he'll be lucky if he fucking ever sees again!"

He raises his hand again; I stiffen my jaw. He stops then as I glared up at him, spitting out the blood filling my mouth.

"Your a brave one, but so stupid," He sneers, laughing, as he takes out a knife from his boot. "You don't mess with a bikers brother because you might just regret it."

He drags the knife dangerously close to my eyes, the glare from the sun above reflecting into my eyes painfully. After a second, the knife tilts, reflecting a few familiar figures in the distance. My eyes widened then, realizing that my mind hadn't been playing tricks. I cocked back my head, ignoring the pain it caused, and let out the loudest scream I've ever yelled in my entire life.

The scream was cut short in my throat, feeling an uncomfortable pressure building in my stomach. I tilted my head down, snaking my trembling fingertips against the cold metal protruding from my abdomen.

**(Spencer POV)**

I grip the crowbar tighter in my hands as we walked down the booths Ashley had been near before she disappeared. A second later, a scream irrupts the destructive silence around us. Ashley's scream. Without even thinking, I started over towards the scream when I feel my brother's arm gripping mine.

"Spencer, no!" He screams, dragging me back a few feet. "Too dangerous, stay here with Kyla. Clay and I will go."

I tear his arm off of me, swallowing back my anger as I walked back to him.

"I have to go. I _have_ to," I pleaded, blinking back tears of desperation. "_I love her_, Glenn. I'm not leaving her, I won't."

Glenn just stares at me for a second, seeing the truth in my eyes. He reached out then, taking my hand and motioning for us all to follow him.

We trudged over the rubble of a depleted stand, seeing what looked like people arguing behind some trees. The flash of purple on the ground hits my eyes, and I flinched. Ashley was wearing a purple jacket.

As we reached the trees, everything started to become clear. Especially a familiar woman laying on the ground, a knife sticking out of her stomach and a pool of blood building underneath her. Ashley's name is smothered in my throat by Glenn's hand, and sobs began to rack my body as I cried against his hand. After a few seconds, Glenn passes me along to Kyla, grabbing the pistol he'd acquired from one of the abandoned booths, and I hear him shuffle through the trees with Clay following behind him. As they approached the four men hovering over Ashley's convulsing body, I hear the men's argueing getting louder.

"GET THE FUCK OFF HER!"

Behind the trees, I see three of the men back away from Glenn's voice, leaving only one older man who gathered Ashley's unconscious body into his arms. As my brothers closed in on him, the man yanks the knife out of Ashley's stomach and holds it against her throat.

"Stay there, or I'll slit her throat!" He screams, applying pressure on the knife and making a small line of blood appear on her neck.

I screamed against Kyla's hand, struggling out of her grasp, and scrambled through the trees towards my brothers. From the corner of my eye, I see Kyla's form running back behind the vacant booth and disappears. As I reached them, I hear the man laughing, and ignore Glenn's disapproving glare in my direction.

"If you don't want to get hurt children, I suggest you run home to mama," The man jokes, in a parental voice. His eyes fall on Clay's balled fists, and he scoffed. "You're still here nigger? I thought we knocked you out."

A low laugh bubbles in the man's chest, pressing the blade down harder against Ashley's throat and drags the blade across the skin there. I screamed for him to stop and ran towards them, but Glenn's strong arms hold me back. As I fought against my brother's grasp, my ears register sirens blaring in the distance.

"Derric! We gotta go!" One of the others called out to him, taking panicked steps back towards the surrounding forests of the park. As the sirens got closer, the three men stumbled away and into the woods, leaving Derric alone.

Derric's face spits angrily, lowering Ashley's body on the ground. One of his hands clutches the knife, raising it slowly towards Ashley. All I hear next is a loud gunshot ringing out, and the knife falls to the ground along with Derric holding his bleeding leg in pain. Behind us, Kyla rubs her sore shoulder, and tosses the shot gun aside. That's when I dove to Ashley's body, trembling hands pulling her shoulders onto my lap.

"Oh, god, oh god," I stammered out, staring in horror at what they'd done to her.

I frantically tore my jacket off my body, telling Kyla to hold it forcefully against the wound pooling blood from her stomach. Then ripped some of the fabric from the front of my shirt against her throat to stop the bleeding. I wiped away the tears sliding down my face with my arm, leaning down to cradle Ashley's pale cheek. My fingertips trembled along her scraped skin, hysterically pushing the stray hairs from her face.

As her blank eyes fluttered up at me, I couldn't hold the tears in anymore. I hunched over my best friend, holding her in my arms as I cried angry tears into her hair until I felt the heat from her body starting to fade. I pulled away from my best friend, watching her head falls lifeless into my side. I immediately start checking her pulse points, find that there barely was anything there.

"Ash, baby, wake up for me," I pleaded out to the unconscious girl, patting my hands frantically against her face and shaking her body. Nothing. "No, no, no. Come on, damnit!"

After a few more minutes, I feel Kyla's arms around my shoulders pulling me away from my best friend. I looked back into her shock filled eyes, seeing the despair there and what it meant. I tear myself away from her, sobbing harder at the realization as I hugged onto Ashley's blood stained shoulders.

"You promised," I whispered, rocking her against me. "You promised me, Ash...Now wake up. God, wake up...wake up..."

The body underneath me flinches.

I jerked back in surprise, seeing my best friends eyes flicker open. A forced breath of happiness leaves my lips, but I could see how much she was fighing to keep her eyes open against the brightness of the sun.

"Ash, can you hear me?" I asked softly, stroking her hair as the rest of them dropped to their knees around us. Ashley's head tilts down attempting to nod the best she can. "Good, good. Don't try to talk, okay? Just stay still, help is on the way."

I smiled, feeling the heat returning to her body, and pressed countless kisses against her forehead. I pulled back feeling Ashley's fingers trailed weakly against the skin of neck until the reached my face and brushed along my cheek. Pale lips curved upwards for the briefest second, and half lidded eyes glittered up at me gratefully. I didn't know how I knew what she was trying to tell me at then, but when I read her eyes at that moment, they told me all I needed to know.

"Yeah, Ash," I whispered, closing my eyes against her fingers. "I love you too."

Moments later, countless ambulances arrived at Forest Park. A few EMT's prepped Ashley for transportation as I watched my best friend drifting in and out of consciousness. When it was time to leave, I climbed into the ambulance, and took her limp hand in mine. It was only when we arrived at the hospital minutes later that I'd had to let go of Ashley's hand.

Later, appearing from the trees, ambulances, cop cars, fire trucks, and news vans swarmed the Forest Park. Completely unaware of the catastrophe that had just taken place.

* * *

**R&R.**


	13. Chap 13:If it's not worth saying

**Disclaimer still stands.**

**____*************  
****____********UPDATE: EDITED.  
***********

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen : If A Thing Isn't Worth Saying, You Sing It**

**(Spencer POV)**

I'm sitting in a surgical waiting room of Columbus, Ohio's best hospitals, Mount Carmel.

Glenn was sitting to my left, just as speechless and exhausted as I was. We've been like this for the past two hours, since Clay and Kyla left to pick up Ashley's mom at the airport. She'd been in New York for a case, and dropped everything once she received one hysterical Kyla.

It's been six hours since we had arrived, and they had wheeled Ashley's mangled body into an OR room. Three hours since I'd stopped crying. I was tired of crying. Crying wouldn't save my best friend. Even now, six hours later, half of me was still in complete denial of the events leading up to us sitting in this waiting room. I hadn't really understood it all until now. How fucked up life can turn in just a second. How fast you can lose someone you love. How willing you would be to give up everything else just to save them.

And I would, for _her_.

I flinched at Glenn's hand on mine, lifting my head up to see a man in dark blue scrubs and a surgical cap over his head walking towards us. The expression on the young doctor's face stiffens professionally, reserving any emotion, as he stops in front of us.

"Are you here for Miss Davies?"

Glenn, noticing that I was still in some dazed shock, nearly pulls me up to my feet along with him, nodding once at the Doctor.

"I'm Doctor Lopez, Ashley's doctor," He informs us, lifting up a few papers clipped to a chart in his hands. "I have to ask, before I can say anything furthur. Are you Ashley's family?"

"I'm her best friend, this is my brother," I muttered, speaking for the first time since I'd been here. I winced at how rough my voice had sounded, crossing my arms at the Doctor. "Her sister, Kyla, went to pick up their mother at the airport. She should be back soon."

Hearing this, the man lowers the chart to his side. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can only disclose information about Miss Davies to her immediate—"

I looked past the doctor then, seeing two familiar figures sprinting towards us.

"Kyla, Christine," I breathed out, relieved to see the woman again, and also, that I'd get to hear how my best friend was doing. The younger Davies sister gives me a tired smile, clutching onto my hand as they turned to look at the man.

"I'm her sister, she's her mom," Kyla tells him, tone sharp. "That immediate enough for you, Doc?"

Doctor Lopez clenched his jaw, though he was probably expecting her hostelness. After all, he was a doctor. It must have happened on a daily basis.

"Ashley's surgery was a challenging one," He starts. "The wound to her neck wasn't as severe as it could have been, but there was still minor damage to her vocal chords—one of the best plastic surgeons in this state repaired them to the best of his abilities, but any inflammation of the tissue can easily threaten her ability to speak normally again, if at all."

"Go on," Christine urges shakily, grasping onto Kyla's other arm for support.

"The blow her back had received from being thrown onto the pavement," The Doctor continued, wincing at the recalled statement. "A disc in the left lumbar of her spine was fractured. Which made it difficult to operate around on her abdomen due to some internal bleeding from the knife wound. If we'd let her blood count decrease too low, it would have risked paralyzing her. But as I said, we repaired all we could."

"But she's fine now? My daughter is okay?" Christine asks, desperately.

"She's stable for now but," Doctor Lopez paused then, shaking his head. "You're daughter lost a lot of blood—too much. It's a miracle she made through the surgery. That much blood loss can have painful side effects. Memory loss, seizures, nerve loss, brain damage—She's very strong, Ms. Davies. There must have been someone or something she wasn't ready to leave yet."

Moisture finds its way into my eyes again, my lips curving upwards for the briefest second. I wipe my eyes, and cleared my throat to speak.

"Can we see her?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid," He says. "She's in OIR right now, so we can monitor her vitals for the next twelve hours. After that, she'll be moved up to her room where we will continue our observation. Tomorrow, you'll be able to see her. I suggest you go home, get some rest, and come back in the morning."

"We understand," Kyla replies, seeing her mother already swallowing back tears beside her. "Thank you, Doctor Lopez."

As soon as the Doctor leaves, I crumbled back down onto the waiting room chair. After a few seconds, I found myself eyeing my blood stained hands dubiously, letting my bloodshot eyes drift down to the torn, blood splattered shirt I was still wearing.

"Let's go home, Spence," Glenn's whispering into my ear; a strong arm around my waist pulls me up into his side.

The next thing I knew, I was being layed down gently onto the backseat of Clay's car. I can hear my brothers' voices speaking out to me distantly as the car starts moving, but I won't let myself hear them. I turned my head on the head, seeing the bad holding Ashley's belongings on the floorboard beside me. I let my fingers fiddle around inside the bag, pulling out her Ipod before tieing it closed.

Riffling through the nearly seven hundred songs it held, I settled on a song I'd hadn't heard in years. That's when my hand lowers to trail across my heart, against the cold metal of necklace Ashley had planned to give me, and I closed my eyes against the familiar melodies and lyrics as a memory from long ago overtook me...

_**Flashback:** It was the summer before sixth grade, and Ashley and I had just got home from Church Camp for two weeks. Ashley swore that was the last she time will ever go to church camp. When I asked her why, she just shrugged and wouldn't tell me. We were on our way from getting picked up from my Dad, and on the road now, and the two of us were completely exhausted from the long drive._

_After sleeping for the past hour, I feel Ashley shift in her seat beside me, opening her tired eyelids. I'd been awake for only ten minutes, and for that ten minutes I had been watching my best friend until she woke up. Yeah, I got the creepy factor in that, but I didn't care. She was really...pretty. She didn't look like she was carrying fifty pounds on her shoulders, just completely relaxed as the setting sun beat down on our faces. __Catching my eyes, my best friend gives me a lazy smile, stretching out her arms._

_"Mr. Carlin—"_

_"Can't you kids come up with something cooler to call me?" My dad interrupts her from the front seat. "Like...C-dog?A-dog?Papa C, Uncle Arty?"_

_Ashley's eyes glance at me in amusement, her brown eyes squinting in thought. __"How about Mr.C?"_

_I laughed as Ashley repeated it over and over to herself, getting use to it._

_"Mr.C? Yeah, I like it," My father says, smiling into the mirror. __After this, we stayed quiet again, and he goes back to concentrating on the road. That was until we heard a familiar song start playing on the radio and we whined until he turned it up. __Ashley smiles giddily, lifting her hair brush up to her mouth as she sang along with the first of the song._

_"We got the after noon, you got this room for two...One thing I've left to do...Discover me, discovering you..."_

_When my father had turned his attention back to the road, I see the playful spark in Ashley's eyes diminish as she shifted to face me on the seat. As I leaned up against the window, I can see her smiling at me from the corner of my eye. I propped my head against my arm on the window, giving her my full attention as she continued to sing softly._

_"Something bout' the way your hair falls in your face, I love the shape you take when crawlin' toward the pillowcase...You tell me where to go and though I might leave to find it,I'll never let your head hit the bed without my hand behind it...You want love we'll make it..."_

_She lefts the song play out then, stopping to grin fondly at me. This was only the second time I'd heard her actually sing, loud and carelessly. Honestly, I was in love with her singing voice. Ever since that night in March when she told me about her parents divorce, I remember waiting for every chance I got to get a glimpse of it's beauty._

_"Why do you love this song so much?" I'd teased, bringing my knees up to my chest on the seat. "Does it remind you of someone?"_

___"Y-yeah, it does," My best friend stammered out. _My question caught her off gaurd, the bright smile I loved fading from her face. _My body stiffened against the seat when she said that, but back then I didn't know why._

_My brows furrowed, squeaking out,"Who?"_

_Ashley's mouth opens just as the car stops, and I realize that we were home. She sighs, opening the door, and climbing out of the car to stare down at me with this weird look that my throat dry._

_"Spence, I have a feeling one day," Ashley starts, watching as my father takes our bags into the house. "You'll listen to this song...and you'll know."_

___"Huh?" _I tilted my head at the riddle, puzzled. Ashley just laughs, pulling me out of the car, and towards my home.

_**End Of Flashback :**_

My eyes opened.

I moaned, pulling myself upright, and realized that I was in my bedroom. The blood stained clothes I had been wearing had been replaced by a pair of boxers and a shirt three times my size. Glancing out my window, I could see that the sun was barely shining on the horizon which meant that this was a new day. But there was no joy in watching this now, not without Ashley beside me. Her name brings me back, recalling the memory I'd just awoken from in striking clarity, realizing exactly what I'd been too naive to realize back then.

"It was me," I whispered, leaning my head in my hands as the tears fell.

...

I grip onto my brother's hand as we walked down the corridor to the waiting room. My heart sinks in my chest, seeing an exhausted Kyla and Christine haunched over in two chairs inside the room. A minute later, Kyla's arms are clinging around both mine and Glenn's necks, needing to hold onto _something_. Just minutes later, Doctor Lopez walks into the waiting room, informs us that she was still unconscious, but she could have visitors now.

A nurse lead us towards Ashley's room, swinging the metal door open slowly to reveal the twin-sized bed surrounded by a wall of curtains. As the nurse leaves us alone, Kyla reached a trembling hand to pull the curtains back.

A strangled moan leaves my lips, and I pressed a shaky hand over my mouth to keep from crying out.

Laying soundly on the bed was a very pale, morbidly still version of my best friend. Surgical tubes are hidden by the blue hospital blanket draped over her injuries, and small bandages covered her scraped face. The only color in the entire room was the reddened tint of her bangs, and the dried blood underneath the bandages. The heart monitor beeping persistently beside her was the only sign of life from Ashley's corpse-like state.

Christine and Kyla sat in the two chairs on either side of Ashley, taking both of her frail hands as they stiffed back hopeful tears.

"Ashley, baby," Her mother whispers, stroking the flat, damp hair that surrounded the girl's unresponsive face. "It's mom and Kyla, we're here."

There's goosebumps on Kyla's cheek when she presses her sister's pale hand against the skin there, stifling softly as she stared up at her sister.

"It's—It's me. It's Kyla," The youngest Davies sister mutters, leaning into her hand with closed eyes. Her lip's trembling, and I could see that she's trying to hold it all together. "We're all here for you, you know. We love you, and all you need to do is open those eyes. Because we're missing that damn smirk of yours, Ash, and we can't wait to see it again."

Kyla's eyes explored her sister's face, welling with helpless tears. She leans over the railing of the bed, and kissed Ashley's forehead before crumbling into her mother's arms.

When I was left alone with Ashley then, I couldn't move move at first. Couldn't think, couldn't even breathe. It took me a few minutes to build up the courage to sit down in one of the chairs at Ashley's bedside. Reaching out an unsteady hand to hers laying against her side, I gasped to myself, feeling how cold her hand was. Grasping her fingers firmly with my own, I took in a shuddered breath as I thought of what to say.

"Hey, Ash...it's Spencer," I whispered, swallowing hard at the tears brimming my eyes. "I'm not even sure that you—you can hear me right now. But they say that maybe you can so, maybe...Maybe it wouldn't hurt to try, right?"

I closed my eyes, trying to keep myself together.

"It killed me when you left, you know," I continued, smiling through the pain in my chest. "There I was, without my _best friend_, without the girl I _loved_. I missed you, Ash—so damn much." My voice cracks;the tears spill down faster. "And now your lying in a hospital bed, with me not knowing...if I am ever going to see your smile...or hear your laugh, or actually kiss you like we saw in those chic flicks."

A soft giggle leaves my mouth, and I pressed my lips into the back of her hand.

"God, I wish you would open your eyes," I muttered against her skin, the tears welling in my eyes blurring my vision once more. "I guess that's all I can do now. Just wish that—"

A knock on the room's door breaks my sentence as a nurse stepped into the room. The young woman walks over towards me silently, raising her clipboard up to scribble something down as she trained her eyes on one of the machines surrounding Ashley. Then, she's leaning over her, checking her pulse and blood pressure.

"Could I stay with her tonight?"

Her head lifts up at my question, and she smiles. "Technically, overnights aren't allowed this soon, but I'm sure you'll be watching over her just fine. I'll go get you a better chair, okay?"

"Thanks."

For the first time since all this happened, I smiled a real smile at the nurse, making her suppress a giggle as she left the room.

"You hear that, Ash? I get to stay," I say, leaning over the sleeping brunette. My mind brings me back to a time when Ashley broke her leg in three places and I stated overnight at the hospital with her. "Maybe if you wake up early, we can go racing with hospital carts like last time."

...

It's been six hours, and Ashley hasn't woken up.

Kyla stayed behind with me, to keep me from breaking down on the nurses. It was very quiet at first, and there was many more tears. But the sadness had calmed down after the first few hours, leaving only a hopefulness behind. Then, we started talking about Ashley and what she did while she was in Los Angeles for those three years. The stories and memories Kyla had shared made us forget all the bad around us, even if for only a little while.

I'm going through some pictures on Ashley's ipod when Kyla sits down next to me. Kyla said while she was there, Ashley loved taking pictures of the city, she fell in love with it, and wanted to document that love every chance she could. Whether it be people she walked by on the street, the bus, or at school. She took pictures of everything.

"Who are they?" I asked, showing her a boy and girl I'd seen in almost every picture of Ashley.

"Okay, that's Jamie," She supplies, pointing at the girl with her arm around Ashley's neck, and in the process of trying to lick her face. The purple haired teenager looked a little older than Ashley, and taller too. "They met a few weeks after Ash moved down and totally hit it off. She was even Ashley's first and only girlfriend while she was in L.A."

My eyes snapped up from the screen. "_What?_"

"Yeah, I know right?" Kyla snorts. "It only lasted a few weeks though, JayJay and Ashley Davies were _totally _not meant to be lesbi-friends. But Ashley adores Jamie like she was her own, and it all only made them closer. They're like, best-best friends."

Kyla's hand drifts down, resting over a muscular boy wrapping his arms around Ashley's hips. "That hot mess is Aiden Dennison. He was Ashley's other best friend in L.A. They met about a few months later when he transferred his eighth grade year to JAMS—"

I laughed. "JAMS?"

"My idea. It's what we called it, John Adams Middle School," She dismissed, waving her hand. "Anyway, before that, Aiden hit on her half the year, and totally didn't understand why she wasn't falling for his biceps like all the other girls. Oh, poor boy. So, one day, Ashley put it out there, and told him."

I nodded, resting my head on my arm. "How'd he take it?"

"Aiden was a little bummed, but took it well," She explains, smiling at a memory I couldn't see. "After that, the three of them were practically joined at the hip. They did everything together. Cheated on tests, stole each others food, played football—just a couple of guys. It only got worse when they started their freshman year at Highland, getting detention nearly three times a week. I'm not even going to get started on Sophomore year."

I laughed at the idea of Ashley playing football, but decided to not say anything about the subject. It's been three years, and a lot can change about a person in that time. And in Ashley's case, even their hatred of football.

Kyla trailed her thumb over Aiden's face, grinned down at the screen before glancing over her shoulder at her slumbering sibling.

"He was good friend," She whispers. "JayJay too. Aiden helped her through the shock when Ash and I first met at Highland, and Jamie kind of guarded her for awhile until she started to realize I wasn't out to get her, and finally trusted me. It wasn't soon after that, that I just kind of fell into their group."

She turns around then, taking in a deep breath.

"I called them," She chimes softly. "Aiden should be here tomorrow. Jamie's up north visiting her family, but she'll come down in a few days."

I lent back into my chair, and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "She would want them here."

We spent the night telling stories of our pasts with Ashley, and falling asleep at her side.

* * *

R&R.


	14. Chap 14:One must desire something

________

**Disclaimer still stands.**

**Author's Note : ****Ashley isn't waking up any time soon so... Sorry. :/**

_****____***********  
**_**____********UPDATE: EDITED.  
********* **

* * *

**************Chapter Fourteen : One Must Desire Something To Keep Fighting**

**(Spencer POV)**

As sleep slowly left me the next morning, the faint smell of Ashley's shampoo filled my lungs.

My eyes squinted open, not too hopefully, and noticed that Ashley was still sleeping soundly beside me. I lifted my tired body, propping myself up just enough to kiss my best friends forehead.

"Good morning, Ash," I whisper softly, letting my eyes linger on her face for a few more seconds.

At some point during the night we had climbed onto her bed and layed with Ashley. I'd curled myself into her side with a protective grip on her hand, laying my head onto her chest. So, that I could watch my best friend in case anything changed, or if she woke up. Kyla had layed on her back to the right of Ashley, head facing her heart monitor the whole night. The nurses hadn't bothered us much, except to take her vitals every few hours. They knew that we wouldn't had ever wanted to hurt Ashley.

The clock on the wall says that it's nearly ten thirty, which means we would have to get up soon. My eyes fall on the other slumbering Davies sister, sprawled out and lightly snoring at Ashley's side. With that, I gently moved off of the bed, and walked around to shake Kyla's shoulder gently.

"Kyla...Kyla, wake up," I muttered, jerking my body back when her head bolts up from the pillow.

"What, what? Is she awake?"

When I nodded 'no', Kyla only grunts, pulling herself out of the bed to help me straighten the covers. After that, we took turns taking showers in the bathroom even though we weren't technically allowed to. Then, Dad brought some clothes from home for me and Kyla and we both got dressed.

A soft knock raps on the door about half an hour later. I finished tying my shoelaces to my converses, and opened the door. Outside, stood a familiar muscular boy in a collared blue shirt and faded jeans. My jaw drops slightly, eyeing the bouquet of flowers as I double-taked at his smiling face.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, letting him inside the room. "Aiden, right?"

"Yeah, yes. I'm here to see—" Aiden stopped, his eyes glued on Ashley's still form on the bed. He steps closer, settling the flowers down at the foot of Ashley's bed. Kyla comes out of the bathroom then, eyebrows furrowing as Aiden dropped to his knees at his best friend's side.

"God, babygirl, what happened to you?" He whispers, tears bordering his eyes. Aiden picks up one of Ashley's pale hands in his own, wiping a tear from his face with his other.

Kyla's expression is heart broken as she steps out of the bathroom and goes over to wrap an arm over his shoulders.

"It'll be okay, Aid," She whispers, kissing the top of his raven haired head. "I'm glad you came..."

...

It's been three hours, and the three of us are now in the cafeteria, picking at the questionable food on our plates. The Doctor kicked us out so they could run a few more tests on Ashley to see why she hadn't woken up yet.

"I swear the cooks in this place get payed for making people sick!" Kyla hisses under her breath.

With a growl, Kyla throws her hands up and stands from her chair. I watched as she picked up all of our plates and threw them in the trash. On her way back to our small table, Kyla's eyes drifted to somewhere behind us before they rolled in annoyance. Aiden gives her a questioning look, and Kyla only cocks her head slightly to behind him. Both Aiden and I glance over our shoulders, noticing two teenage guys close to our age at a table a few feet away. They're obviously not trying to hide their stares and winks as they kept talking quietly to each other. Then, one of them gives me a smug smile which only made me roll my eyes as well and turn my attention away from them. Though, Aiden's friendly smile centered at the other teenager hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Typical." I huffed, crossing my arms. "Trying to flirt on girls in the hospital. Have they no class _or_ shame?"

After a few minutes, I lifted my head to see those same two guys are dumping their food and walking over to our table. The taller boy had blonde wavy hair, and walked with a cocky swagger in his step which cued another eye roll. Though, the shorter male had a more glide to his step, with brown hair that was gelled into a moderate sized Mohawk.

"This should be fun," Kyla murmurs, sipping her coffee.

When they approached us, there was a short, awkward silence before the taller teen spoke up.

"Hey, I'm Caylin," He greets, and pats the other boy on the shoulder. "This is my brother, Rory."

Rory smiled politely beside his brother, though I knew he'd seen the uncomfortableness of this situation as well. After a few seconds, I noticed that Rory's eyes had flitted over to Aiden. My eyes narrowed curiously at the shy grin tugging at his lips, and the one also playing on Aiden's who's eyes were glued to the lanky teen. I nudged Kyla from under the table, tilting my head towards the two. Once Kyla catches on to the boys, she only smirks knowningly to herself. Then, as if fate was just spiting me, Caylin's hand is being reached out towards me. I inwardly groaned, but shook his pale hand anyway.

"I'm Spencer," I replied. "These are my friends, Kyla and Aiden."

"Nice to meet you," Rory murmurs. Though, it was obvious he was saying it towards Aiden than to the rest of the group.

"Well, the reason we came over is," Caylin starts, his smug expression deepening. "We were wondering—"

Rory clears his throat."Don't you mean, y_ou_ were wondering?"

"Fine. _I _was wondering," His brother continues, nudging Rory's side. "Why such beautiful girls like yourselves are in a hospital of all places?"

Aiden tears his eyes away from Rory, pursing his lips in annoyance that the boy hit on his friends right in front of him.

"Kind of a need to know thing, Romeo," He snaps, clenching his jaw.

I giggled to myself, giving Aiden a fond smile. _He's so awesome._

"Don't mind him," I apologized, half heartedly. "But it's nice to meet you too. And we're here because our friend was hurt."

Caylin nods, though his concern hadn't reached his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry about your friend. We're here for our friends surgery. He lit a blackcat, and forgot it was still in his hand."

I winced, glancing at the clock near us in panic. Sighing in relief, I thanked god that it was half an hour later, like the Doctor had instructed for us to wait before coming back.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go," I murmured, grabbing onto Kyla's hand. "Come on, they should be done now."

...

We rounded the corner of the familiar wing of the hospital, seeing three Doctors I hadn't seen before walk silently out of Ashley's room. Worried, I quickened my step as we got closer to her room. Doctor Lopez steps out from the door frame and into view, studying something on a chart he'd held in his hands. He lifts up his head, seeing us coming over. Before he can say anything, I'm already walking past him, and entering Ashley's room. My breath hitches, seeing how she was now hooked up to more machines than earlier.

"Why—Why are there...," I trailed off, starting to feel a little light headed.

There's an exasperated breath as the Doctor joins me in the room, along with Kyla and Aiden. They took hesitant steps towards Ashley's bed, sitting next to Christine who was crying at her daughter's side.

"What happened?" I yell at him startling some nurses and doctors standing by. "What's wrong with her?"

"Please Miss Carlin," Doctor Lopez encourages, finding my baffled expression. "Miss Davies just had a seizure and coded. We stabilized her and were just running some tests, that's all. Now will you please lower your voice?"

I raised a baffled eyebrow at his request. My eyes catch the machines once again, my worry instantly simmering my rage down a few pegs.

"How did this happen?"

Doctor Lopez takes in a long breath, glancing down at his chart. "We believe that Miss Davies cerebral molecular fuctions—"

"English," I snapped, rubbing my temples.

"Her brain activity," He continues. "Kept acting up, working irregularly. Certain parts of are brain were flickering off and on, like a light switch. It resulted in her being brain dead for microseconds at a time. Although small, it could result in her fainting, tumors, unusual behavior, and now..."

"And now?" I urged, crossing my arms.

"And now, resulting in a comatose state," He finishes, dropping his eyes away from mine. "I've already informed her mother about Ashley's prognosis, and the treatments available—"

"A coma? A fucking coma?" I nearly screamed, taking short breaths in hopes of calming myself down. "No, no, no. We just left her not even...I mean, she was just sleeping. She was _sleeping_!"

Doctor Lopez reaches an arm out to my shoulder. I swat his hand away, pressing my back against one of the walls of Ashley's room. I chuckled to myself then, feeling the tears building in my burning eyes. It was a humorless laugh in a failed attempt to calm my frightened heart.

"I'm sorry, Miss Carlin," He says, lowering his voice. "But there's no brain activity to suggest anything else."

"Will she—Will she wake up?" I barely choked out, looking at the tube down my best friend's throat supporting her breathing.

"I'm afraid it's too early to answer know," He admitted, looking just as helpless as I felt.

His eyes fall to his chart once again.

"Now, we believe know why this was caused," Doctor Lopez recalled. "Her mother informed me that Ashley had epilepsy in her younger years. She inhereted the illness from her grand mother. Though, the seizures had stopped around the age of eleven."

I shook my head. "No, she's shouldn't even be still called epileptic. Ashley hasn't had an attack in over six years..."

_**Flashback:**_

_No one had answered the front door of the Davies residence, though, the door was unlocked. Being the curious little kid I was, I went inside without a second thought in search of my best friend. Skipping through the endless vacant rooms inside the home, I finally found the hallway leading to Ashley's room. As I stepped closer, I could hear whimpers and hushed voices coming from behind the door. I creaked the door open slightly, peeking in to see what I realized was my best friend's form shaking uncontrollably on her bed. My eyes widened, also seeing that she was being held down by her dad and mom._

_"It's okay, sweetie," She whispers. "It's okay, it's okay. Breathe for me baby, breathe...just breathe."_

_Christine's eyes are all watery, softly hushing her daughter as she reached out he arms to restrain her quivering shoulders. Ashley's eyes are rolling in back of her head and tears are pouring out of her blank eyes as she jerked against her parents. Before that time, I'd never seen Ashley have a seizure. At first, the only conclusion my little ten year old mind could muster was that she was possessed. Which was a stretch._

_"Come on, baby girl," Her Dad, Raife, whispers, resting his chin against Ashley's shivering forehead. "You're strong, baby, you're strong. It'll all be over in a second, Daddy promises, it'll all be over..."_

_I stood there, completely terrified, as the seconds drawled on, and Ashley's shaking at eventually disappeared. When my best friends eyes open, and I see brown, I sighed in relief._

_The girl looked around frightened seeing her mom give her a hug._

_"Mom?" Ashley croaks, brown eyes widening into her mother's. "What—What...happened?"_

_Before Christine could open her mouth, her daughter's eyes fluttered closed underneath her grasp, and Ashley blacked out. Her sobs echoed throughout the halls of the Davies home. Overwhelmed and traumatized, a small whimper escaped my lips as I took in the scene before me. The last thing I see are Raife's eyes locking with mine before he's pushing me down the hallway and out the front door._

_"Spencer, you shouldn't be here," He says, "Go home, you can't see this!"_

_Ashley's Dad slams the door in my face, leaving me to walk home with too many questions in my mind for a little girl to be burdened with. After that day, Ashley never had another seizure._

**End Of Flashback:**

"Those prior seizures must've caused benign damage that built up over time," Doctor Lopez explains, as Christine, Aiden, and Kyla turned their attention over towards the two of us. "In turn, that damage greatly affects her the chances of her waking up any time soon. The possibility is slim, I'm sorry. All we can do now is wait to see. Though, if her state doesn't change from the medication we'll have to take action."

"You mean surgery," Christine says, crossing her arms. "What would you do, if that was the case?"

"We'd remove the part of the brain that is causing her seizures," He answers. "The procedure is very risky, and will stay our last option until something changes."

Christine sighed, rubbing her temples in exhaustion. "We still have time, so let's not think about that right now."

...

Later that day, Chrstine went home with Kyla, while Aiden and I stayed another night at the hospital. I still planned on sleeping next to my best friend on the bed, though the nurses would be concerned if Aiden joined as well. So, he just camped out on a makeshift cott a few feet away.

I settled down into Ashley's side, and kissed my best friend's cheek goodnight.

"You've been here since they took her in haven't you?" Aiden had asked me, while taking off his shoes.

I nodded my head, letting my eyes drift to the heart monitor on the other side of Ashley's bed. "Yeah, I can't—I couldn't leave her alone like that. I know she would've done the same for me."

"Wow, you really care about her." Aiden smiles approvingly, leaning back on his bed. "More than friends though. You're, like, in love with Ash."

My eyes shot up at his accusation, staring at him incredulously. "How did you know?"

"I have my ways of seeing the unseen," He says, with a shrug. "But don't worry, my lips are sealed."

I just shook my head, giggling at how ridiculous that sounded. After a moment, a thought pops into my head, and I eyed the smirking boy on the cot.

"Aiden," I started. "You're gay aren't you, Aiden?"

The raven haired boy grinned, scoffing mockingly. "What could've possibly given you that idea, Miss Carlin?"

I shrugged. "Well, you were totally checking out Rory. Plus, you have way better fashion sense than any straight guy I've ever met."

The smirk on Aiden's face grew into amusement, and soon we were both doubled over laughing. When we were a little more composed, I fitted myself underneath the covers on top of Ashley's bed while Aiden did the same on his cot.

"Well, no," Aiden had murmured, a few minutes later. "I'm not gay, but Bi sounds a little more up my alley."

I smiled, cocking my head down to meet his bemused expression. "Regardless of who you like, I think you're pretty damn awesome, Aiden."

"Why, you as well, Miss Carlin," He agrees, rolling over onto his side.

With that, I leaned over my best friend, and kissed her forehead once more before drifting off to sleep.

____

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**R&R.**


	15. Chap 15:We are near waking

**Disclaimer still stands.**

**Author's Note: *SPOILER ALERT* — Alright. So. ****I needed to change something. How long Ashley's in a coma. I don't know why it just occurred to me now that 7 months is just _way_too non-realistic, even for me. So, I opted for a shorter span and changed it to THREE MONTHS. Speaking of non-realistic things. What happens inside Ashley's head/Limbo before she wakes up. All I have to say is that you can believe what you want.**

_****____***********  
**_**____********UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Chapter Fifteen : ****We're Near Waking When We dream We A****re Dreaming **

**(Spencer POV) **

**Three Months Later**

I entered the hospital room, book bag strapped firmly across my shoulders, holding a box of flowers.

Andrea's there, taking a sample of a blood from the sleeping patient. Routine blood tests, always landing on Mondays and Fridays. Andrea's a nurse, and had became one of many friends I had made here at Mount Carmel Hospital. Since I've practically spent every day here for the past couple of months.

"Hi, Andrea," I greeted, setting the box onto the window sill. "How's my girl doing?"

"Still alive and kickin', or at least her heart monitor is," Andrea teases, knowing that I wouldn't be too offended by her dry humor.

I rolled my eyes at the woman, taking the wilted flowers from the vase beside the box, and replacing them with fresh, bloomed lilies. With a satified smile, I turned around and settled down on the all too familiar hospital chair beside the bed.

"You know," Andrea starts a few seconds later, packing away the blood filled tubes into her tackle box. "She squeezed my hand yesterday."

"Really?" I practically beamed, the smile on my face only growing when Andrea nods. "Thank god, I thought I'd imagined it the other night. I mean, it felt so real, you know? But then I told Doctor Lopez, and he said it could've only been a reflex..."

Andrea scoffs, leaning over to stroke the sleeping girl's hair that seemed to be getting longer every day. It layed below her ears now, curling and feathered in some places, which easily hid the fading scar along the side of her head from the public. Just a month ago, the brown hair on her head had only been slightly longer than a buzz cut, so we were thankful that she'd have her long hair back in just a few months.

"Yeah, but we know different, don't we?" She gives me a small smile before gathering up her equipment and heads out the door. "Bye Spencer," She says, stopping halfway out the door, and turned to me. "See you tomorrow?"

"Where else would I be?" I questioned back, waving as she disappeared behind the doorway. I glanced over my shoulder, smiling fondly at the sleeping girl beside me.

"Nowhere else than with you, Ash," I whispered, leaning over to press my lips against her warm forehead just like I'd always done.

Launching my body skillfully over the bed railing, I gently lay myself beside my best friend. Then I gathered the tiny ear buds from my pocket, nestling one in my left ear, and reached up to put the other in her right. I rolled onto my side, snuggled into her side, and pressed play on her ipod. Over the months, I've made sure to add songs she might've liked and played them every time I stayed overnight.

Nearly two months ago, the Doctors performed a surgical procedure Right Temporal Lobectomy when the medicine that had been giving Ashley hadn't reduced her seizures. This meant, before the surgery could happen, weeks of tests on her brain functions would have to take place to insure her safety during the procedure. Honestly, the surgery scared the hell out of me, but the Doctor's assured me that Ashley was a great candidate. All of her language and motor skills were dominant on the left hemisphere of the brain, away from being damaged long term. Though, the fact she was comatose proved to be a challenge after the surgery was a successful. They said it would take nearly half a year for the brain to heal, and in turn, caused severe spikes in her brain activity, and abnormal migraines in the first month. Thankfully, they stopped in the coming weeks into the second month, and it seemed Ashley was healing faster than normal. But the Doctors were still apprehensive. Because until Ashley woke up on her own, they wouldn't fully know the extent of the surgery's outcome.

The others stop by daily Ashley's room every few days, checking up on both of us. Aiden and Jamie visit every few weeks because they live farther away, and it's harder to get out here. But I didn't mind, I understood. This place had become my second home since the carnival three months ago, and Ashley's attack. I went to school, came here and did my homework until closing for visiting hours, then I went home if it wasn't the weekend.

...

**_(Ashley POV)_**

_Out of the endless darkness—that I can't even say how long I've been in—I find myself draped in blinding sunshine and an array of colors around me._

_As my eyes adjusted to the foreign light, I looked around me to find that it was a familiar place. My body registers the mist playing off the smooth waters of the lake and swirling against my skin. And the bench I was sitting on, mine and Spencer's bench. Yet, even though the place was familiar, it was also so different. __The bench was now a bright white, and the lake had turned a marvelous turquoise color. There was also so many birds and butterflies floating above me, chirping happily as they moved about the cool air._

_Everything was calm. __Peaceful._

_It felt as if all my problems seemed so silly now, and that if I left this place, everything was going to be alright. So there I say, for what seemed like hours and hours, just basking into this serene heaven._

_Until I hear the birds stop chirping and the water still. I opened my eyes instantly seeing a hooded figure emerging from __the brightness. My eyes focused harder as the figure stepped across the lake, surrounded by a white cascading light. This light soon faded as they neared my stunned form, revealing a woman in a long white robe. As her feet lightly touches the grass at my feet, she pulled down her hood, and let her curly brown hair fall. __The young woman sits beside me, turning to face me towards mine, and showing two big blue orbs. My eyes went wide slowly recognizing the woman's face._

_"Spencer?"_

_I barely register my slack jaw, reaching up a hand to smack across my cheek. __I winced then, which only made me more bewildered._

_"Don't worry, Ashley," She whispers, winking, and turns to face the lake where she soon becomes __quiet. __"But I am not your friend. I was sent to guide you. I'm only using this image you're so fond of to help make this easier for you."_

_Minutes passed as I only stared silently at the Spencer look-a-like, feeling the odd sensation of confusion in what felt like forever._

_"Make what easier?" I asked, curiously._

_Her eyes drifted from the lake then, melting into mine. __"Your death."_

_My eyebrows furrowed, eyeing her intently, hoping that I'd misheard. The complete honesty in the Spencer look-a-like's eyes unnerved me out of my mellow trance._

_"__WHAT__?"_

_I shook my head, flinging myself off the bench. __Straight away, all of the calm feelings I'd felt before vanished, leaving me petrified, apprehensive, and very angry. __My heart sinks in my chest, my breathing slowing until I couldn't hear the drumming of my pulse anymore._

_"No, no, no. I can't die, I mean, I just can't," I breathed, hand covering my face in panic as I paced around. "This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening..."_

_The Spencer look-a-like groans from her place on the bench, standing up to stop me with her hands. __"Calm down, okay? It's all going to—"_

_I drew back at her touch, chucking her hands away. __"It's NOT okay. I don't want to die. I mean, I wanna live damnit!" __She just stares at me calmly, and I groaned, stomping my foot in aggrivation. "This really sucks!"_

_With tears brimming my eyes, I watched her take in a breath at my words._

_"I know this whole thing is horrible for you, _trust me_," She says, lifting up her hand to me. "You just have to accept that it'll be okay. Now are you coming with me?"_

_I crossed my arms defiantly. "To where?"_

_"You know where, Ashley." The Spencer look-a-like gives me a knowing look, only reaching her hand out further. __I turned silent, frozen still, as I looked to her hand then back to her face._

_"No," I snapped, stubbornly backing away from her. "I want to go back home. Take me back now. Now!"_

**(Spencer POV)**

I woke up early the next morning, kissed Ashley's cheek, and decided to finish unpacking the things I brought for her room.

_"...You Are My Sunshine_  
_My only sunshine._  
_You make me happy_  
_When skies are gray."_

I sang softly while I walked about the room, and tied up my now blonde hair into a sloppy bun. Grasping two picture frames that held pictures of us, I stepped over to Ashley's bedside table and sat them down.

_"You'll never know, dear,_  
_How much I love you_  
_Please don't take my sunshine away."_

My fingers gripped onto a small cover inside the card board box, and gently placed it over Ashley's sleeping form, tucking her in. I smiled down at my best friend, and brushed my fingers along her smooth cheek. The small scars there had healed long ago, which only restilled my hope even more.

_"The other night, dear,_  
_As I lay sleeping_  
_I dreamed I held you in my arms._  
_When I awoke, dear,_  
_I was mistaken_  
_And I hung my head and cried."_

Sighing, I backed away from the bed to settle myself down in an uncomfortable chair I've gotten used to sleeping in by now.

_**(Ashley POV)**_

_"I'm not going," I'd muttered, for the fifth time. "I'm not. So, you can just go tell them to send me back home now."_

_____I glared out into the calm waters of our lake, pouting like some hysterical toddler who hadn't gotten their way. _She only shakes her head, sitting quietly beside me on the bench. I wasn't going anywhere. Or at least, anywhere I wanted to go.

_"Show me what you really look like," I whispered, eyes still on the lake. "I can't look at you looking like...like Spencer, when you're not."_

_She nods once, and closed her eyes. Seconds later, I glanced over as a bright light traces along her body, transforming her into another woman. A shorter, red haired teenager, no younger than myself._

_"Does this make you more comfortable?" She asks, motioning at her appearance. __My mouth opens, about to mutter a reply, when my ears register something in the distance._

_"...you are my sunshine...you make me happy when skies are gray..." _

_My head snaps behind me in marveled curiosity, straining myself to hear it again. I spiral my body around on the bench, searching._

_"Did you hear that?"_

_Green eyes narrowed, emphasizing every word in astonishment. "You can hear that?"_

_I only nodded, and the red headed teen stared at me, eye wide in disbelief. E__yeing her for only a second, I noticed her stunned eyes glancing upwards into the sky a few times. Then I hopped over the head of the bench, finding myself walking in different directions._

_"Yeah, it's like...," I trailed off, absently. "Someone's singing. I know the voice, you know? Did you hear it?...I swear, it's Spencer. It has to be."_

_"...never know, dear...how much I love you..."_  
_  
By now, my ears are practically burning from the stress I'm putting them thought. I cocked my head to the side, hearing__ another verse whistling through the air. It's faint, but it's there._

_"...Please don't take...my sunshine...away..."_

_Just like that, it was gone. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hear it anymore._

_"Why can I hear her?" I demanded, circling back around to face the girl. "I thought—You said I was dead!"_

_"You're not, atleast not yet," She stammers, completely confused at the situation. "You're _not_ suppose to hear the living here. I mean, unless—"_

___"Unless what?" I urged, _stepped closer towards the teenager. _"Wait. Does this mean I'm still _alive_? Answer me!"_

_The girl's mouth opens and closes a few times in panic, before looking up to the sky. __Not even a second later, another figure emerges from the lake. An older man, like Yoda-esque age. The robed man nods respectfully to me, taking his place by her side._

_"That, Ashley," He starts, patting the girl's shoulder. "Means that if you can hear the living from this place, Limbo as some say, then it's not your time."_

_I inwardly squeal, sighing the biggest breath of relief in my entire life. "Seriously? I really get to go back? Please, tell me this isn't a joke because I swear..."_

_The older man only smiles, silently leaning me to the shore of the lake. I felt myself smile as I peered out into the peaceful water in front of me._

_"You have been given a second chance, Ashley Davies," He whispers, behind me. "Make it worth living."_

_In one swift motion, I'm being pushed face first into the lake, and everything slows down. Just before __I hit the water, the light around me beings to darken into the familiar night I'd been enveloped in before. Only this time, I can hear the faintest sound of music filling the darkness._

...

My eyes flutter open.

Once the hazy fog lifted from my burning sockets, the first thing I'd recognized was the white, tiled ceiling above me. There's beeping to my left, and I painstakingly inched my head towards the sound and realized it was a heart monitor. The wires, the IV drip, the morbid blue tones everywhere. I was in the hospital. It's at that moment when everything dawned on me, and I remembered what had happened to me at the carnival. The reason why I was lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen line attached to my nose.

Although extremely sore and exhausted, I also felt extremely thankful that I was still here. That I wasn't just some memory behind a gravestone in the cemetery. I had survived. I was _alive_. With tear filled eyes, I drew a deep breath at the realization.

It was then I took in my surroundings, noticing details of the room for the first time. There wasn't any light coming from the behind the window blinds, so that meant it was night time. Two pictures lay side by side on the small table beside my bed, one being the first picture Spencer and I had ever taken of each other. It was a few months after we'd met in the playground, and we were in Spencer's closet trying on the craziest outfits. I remember finding Mr. C's old Polaroid camera and falling in love with it instantly. Not even a minute later, and I'm throwing my arm around my best friends shoulder and aiming the camera down at our smiling faces. _Click._

The other picture frame, held a more recent photograph. I'm on Spencer's back smiling playfully into the camera, legs wrapped tightly around her waist with Spencer's arms gripping my legs as she held herself on her feet. At the lower portion of the photo, I could see that Spencer's also smiling up into the camera. We had been on our way home from watching the sunrise one weekend, and I'd decided to jump on my best friends back out of nowhere. It was taken three years ago, the weekend before Spencer told me she didn't want to be friends anymore. _Click._

A strong warmth over my stomach and down my right side brings me out of my thoughts. Struggling to move my neck, I glanced down to meet a blonde head of hair resting against my chest with an arm draped across my stomach. Although the last time I'd seen my best friend, she had brown hair, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that the girl sleeping beside me was Spencer Carlin.

The instict to touch the girl had never been so strong in my entire life. But my body could barely move, and I realized that I couldn't speak. Which made me wonder just how long I'd been asleep on this hospital bed. For the next few hours, I worked breathlessly to regain the use of the rest of my limbs. After awhile, I found that I could maneuver my arms adequately enough, and wiggle my toes easily. It wasn't much right now, but it was enough to get Spencer's attention. I clenched the muscles in my hand, willing them to life, and reached out to brush my fingers across her cheek. Spencer winces at underneath my touch, stirring in her sleep. I try again, letting my fingers linger across her bottom lip.

This works, bringing the girl slowly out of her slumber. I watched as Spencer's head hesitantly lifted off of my chest and turned to look at me. Blue eyes widened into mine for a few seconds, a trembling hand reaching up to touch my face. I sighed, relieved, and covered my hand on top of hers against my cheek.

Tears well inside Spencer's eyes, gasping at the action.

"Am I dreaming?"

I managed to shake my head, knowing it was pointless to form words that wouldn't come. Spencer sits up on the bed, and throws her arms around my neck. I scrounged enough strength to hug her back, letting her cry into the nape of my neck until she calmed down. Spencer soon breaks the hug, letting my body fall against the bed as she tosses the earphones aside.

My best friend looks into my tired eyes, as if still unsure of her being awake. Spencer cradles my face in her hands then, pressing a long kiss to my forehead.

"I can't believe you awake," She whispers, smiling through her tears.

All I can do is melt fondly into her glittering blue eyes and smile. Those same eyes I fell in love with long ago.

God, I've missed them terribly...

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**R&R.**


	16. Chap16: Echoes, Silence, Patience

**Disclaimer still stands.**

**Author's Note: Okay, yeah, I realize last chapter was weird. But you know, people see/dream weird things in near death experiences all the time. Some people see Jesus or a relative, Ashley saw a ginger and Yoda. No big deal.**

**__****____*************  
****____********UPDATE: EDITED.  
*********

* * *

**

**Chapter Sixteen : Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace**

**(Ashley POV)**

Our embrace is interrupted when the beeping emanating from the heart monitor starts increasing rapidly. We pulled ourselves out of each others arms, turning to observe as a number, that I realized was my heart rate, spiking higher and higher by the second.

My brows pulled together, eyeing the machine. _That's not good._

At that moment, the door to my room swings open as a man in a white coat along with two nurses stormed into the room. Slightly terrified at the sight, my hand reflexively fiddled around for my best friends, grasping onto her fingers in desperation. It was then that my vision had started to go south as I stared up into the concerned strangers crowding around the bed. The man in the white coat is leaning over me now, shining a light across my eyes.

"Ashley, I'm Doctor Lopez," I hear the man's voice tell me. It sounded faint, as if he was outside in the hallway instead of in front of me. "How do you feel? Miss Davies, can you hear me? Do you know where you are?"

I shrugged myself away from his voice, but his arm catches my wrist as he attempts to take my pulse. Fearing that something was wrong, I turn my frightened, hazy eyes onto my best friend for help. But before Spencer can even react, one of the nurses is leading her away, and the other taking her place at my bedside, taking my vitals. I drained away the Doctor's voice in my ears, picking apart Spencer's voice underneath the questions and evergrowing beeping of the heart monitor.

"I'm not leaving her," She's saying, shrugging the nurse off. "Please, she just woke up. Please, let me stay?"

Seeing Spencer then, being pulled away from me and out of the room, jolted my mind into panic mode. I wriggled away from the Doctor's hands as best as I could manage, ignoring his demands and pleas for me to stay still. No matter how much of a headache my head was giving me from the stress, I kept fighting. Of course, their response was holding down the arm with the IV port while the other nurse prepped a syringe.

"Ashley, calm down," The strange Doctor coaxed above me, still clamping down on my limbs. "We're going to give you a sedative."

My eyes widened, eyeing how big the needle was, and I felt my stomach turn. _Did no one even mention to them while I was asleep that I'm deathly afraid of needles?_

I squirmed away from the syringe until I couldn't move back anymore, whimpering out when the sharp needle pierced into my skin. I felt their hands remove themselves from my skin as their voices all started to merge together, their alert faces circling. A wave of dread wells itself into the pit of my stomach, fighting off the overheated feeling and my incoherent vision. And I'm struggling to get off the bed again, to find Spencer, pushing away their hands as they once again held them down forcefully.

That's when I opened my mouth, screaming out my best friends name in desperation. Though, at first, all that came out were very hoarse whispers. I took that moment to bite back any tears leering in my eyes, forcing back down the lump in my throat, and tried to scream once more.

**(Spencer POV)**

Outside of Ashley's room, I'm still being detained by a nurse, when I heard it.

My heart sunk. "Ash."

Without a seconds pause, I'm pushing past the nurse, and flinging the door to Ashley's room open seconds later. Anger flares in my chest, seeing that they're still holding Ashley's hysterical body against the bed. But what set me over the edge was the completely terrified look in my best friends eyes.

"You're scaring her!"

I bolted, shoving the nurse and Doctor Lopez as far away from Ashley in the process.

"Ash, it's okay," I whispered, leaning over the startled brunette. Her dazed eyes widened, fiddling over the bed railing to grip tightly onto my hands, like a scared child to her mother. "It's me, see? I'm right here...I'm right here."

I sighed against my best friend, glancing over my shoulder to leer over at the other three people in the room.

"She just woke up and has _no idea _what's going on," I nearly growled, my grip on Ashley tightening protectively. "What you did nearly scared her half to death! God, what is wrong with you? Are you trying to make her go into another fucking coma?"

Doctor Lopez takes a step forward. "I'm sorry, Spencer. We were only trying to—" I raised a warning hand toward the Doctor, silencing him, and straightened myself up.

"You've done enough." My eyes flashed at them, grinding my teeth in attempt to not scream. "Leave us alone. Please? Just leave."

After a long second of my leveled glare towards him, Doctor Lopez nods, motioning for the nurses to leave as well. Once the door shuts and we're along inside the room, I breathed out a slow breath as I returned by gaze towards Ashley. She was smiling lazily up at me, resting her cheek against my arm as the sedative began to kick in.

"Bastards," I muttered under my breath, pressing my lips against her temple. "I'm never letting anyone hurt you ever again, I promise."

Ashley's eyes fluttered drowsily underneath my lips, fighting to stay open. I smiled, gently stroking my best friends hair.

"You sleep now, okay? I'll be here when you wake up," I whispered.

Silently, I lifted myself up into the chair, and scooted it as close to the Ashley's bed as possible. It was the scariest thing to see, when I saw her drifting back into sleep, and fearing that she'd never wake up again.

**Thirteen Hours Later**

**(Ashley POV)**

I was stirred out of my sleep by hushed voices and shuffling about the room. I rolled onto my side, immediately wincing at the pain hammering away in my head. When a soft whimper escaped my lips then, I feel something warm covering my right hand. I slowly opened my eyes, peering out at the space infront of me, and finding Spencer resting her arms over the railing of the bed. She's smiling down at me, eyes nearly filled with tears. I felt my lips curve upwards, and I sleepily covered the hand on my arm with my own.

"Hey you," She's whispering, trailing her thumb inside my palm.

"H-Hey," I whispered back, gravelly and harsh.

My other hand reaches up to my throat, trying to quell the stinging there. When my fingertips feel a thin line of raised skin there, my eyes narrowed in confusion. Spencer's hand gently squeezed my arm, reassuring me.

"From the accident," She explains. "The doctors repaired your vocal chords, and it went great, Ash. I know it hurts to talk right now, but it'll get better, I promise."

Though the events of that day were a little blurry now, I still nodded. Behind me, the door clicks open, and I see Spencer's head lift up to look who'd just entered. When she returns her eyes to mine seconds later, she's smiling. I shifted uncomfortably onto my back and peered towards the door. When I recognize the two familiar faces beaming back at me, I had to blink a few times to make sure I hadn't dreamed it.

"Well, well, see you're awake," Kyla chirps, smiling brightly, with tears in her eyes.

A second later, she's bouncing up the the bed and giving me a soft hug. I closed my eyes against my sister's form, not wanting to let go. When she pulls away, my eyes notice had different she looked. Her hair had gone back to her natural light brown, and was much longer than the last time I'd seen her. I wasn't even going to start on the glasses she was wearing.

"You've had Spence freakin' out, and all scared you'd gone coma-girl on us again," She adds, dismissing Spencer's death glare.

That was the second time I'd wondered how long I'd been asleep, and I would've asked, but my attention snaps to the grinning boy behind Kyla. I smiled over at Aiden, reaching out an arm to him as he stepped closer.

"Long time no see, Ash," Aiden whispers, and kissed my cheek. "I flew down here as soon as I heard you're awake. Jamie's in Canada for Christmas break, and she promises she'll be here as soon as they get back."

I couldn't help but notice how much he'd changed as well. Especially, his hair that bushed and curled over his ears. My brows furrowed, not able to push the question away any longer, as I glanced over at Spencer's face.

"H-How," I started, swallowing hard at the burning it'd caused in my throat. "How long?"

"Almost four months," Spencer whispers, knowing exactly what I was questioning.

Kyla pulls up another chair. "But your awake now, it doesn't matter. It'll be just like old times, except you'll be a little more bitchier for awhile."

I mock glared at my sister, grasping onto the railing to pull myself upright on the bed.

"They're going to keep you here for awhile though," Aiden says, squeezing my hand. "For observation and tests to make sure we're out of the woods. While your here, we scheduled some physical therapy to help your walking."

"Great," I muttered, with false excitment. I hate hospitals.

Kyla squealed then, leaning over into her bag on the floor. "I can't believe I almost forgot!"

I raised an eyebrow at Aiden who only rolled his eyes. When Kyla rose again, she held up a writing board towards me.

"I thought it'd help," She says, laying it down on my lap. "You know, since it kind of hurts to talk right now."

I laughed softly, trailing my hand over the glossy white board. After a second, I grasped the marker attached, and wrote a scratchy '_I love you'_ onto the white surface. Kyla's eyes ran across what I'd written, leaning over the railing to wrap her arms around my shoulders.

**A Week Later.**

This afternoon, I was officially discharged.

You have no idea how anxiously excited I've been this past week to hear those words from my Doctor. My tests came back with positive results, I'd learned how to walk decently again after the first five days of physical therapy, and the fact that I could talk normally was just a bonus. Though, there still was a splitting headache in my head from time to time. That sucked so hard.

I'm sitting on the edge of my hospital bed, grasping the clothes my mom brought for me. We'd already signed all the necessary paperwork for discharge about an hour ago, and all I needed to do was get dressed before I was to go downstairs where Spencer, Kyla, and Aiden were waiting for me.

My mother's looking at me from the head of the bed expectantly, and I just cocked my head towards the door. She sighs, nodding her head, and told me she'd be waiting outside. I still hadn't brought up the courage to undress in front of my mother, hell, in front of anyone except the nurses.

As the door closes, I settled the folded clothes down onto the bed. My fingers bunch up the fabric of my paper gown, which was tied too tight in the back, so I was struggling a bit to pull it completely over my shoulders. Seconds pass, and I'd still failed to remove the gown from my body as my arms tangled into it. Frantically, I groaned into the fabric, twirling around hysterically in hopes of prying it away from me.

"God, dammit. Fucking stupid gown won't come—"

The door clicks open, and I freeze in my spot.

That's when the situation dawned on me. Here I was, hands over my head, grasping a hospital gown in only a sports bra and boys briefs. It hadn't covered much, if any at all. A girl's chuckle close to me fills the slightly awkward, panicked silence.

"Need a hand?" They ask as footsteps approached my still form. "Nice legs, by the way."

The familiar voice catches me off guard, and I subconsciously stepped closer, finding myself fumbling forward. Though, my body is quickly engulfed against someones chest, their toned arms effortlessly stopping me from falling over. I took in a shuddered breath, reaching up to blindly grasp onto the person's shoulders for support as I steadied myself again. Remembering what'd they said, I felt a weird sense of something overwhelmed me. Then, without even thinking, I found my fingers start to ghost over defined a collarbone, cold metal circling around their neck, and trailing across a cleft chin.

Tears welled in my eyes. "JayJay?"

"The one and only, babe," She whispered back, closer to my face than I thought. She's shuffles around with the strings of my gown for only a second before it was pulled off of me, pooling onto the cold tile floor at our feet.

I locked eyes with none other than Jamie Bristow, instantly noticing how different she'd looked than before I'd left Los Angeles. The purple was long gone from her curled, black locks which fell past her shoulders. She was even wearing a blue and black plaid skirt, which contrasted strongly with the leather jacket, white beater, and combat boots accompanying it. In the three years that I've known the teenager, I'd noticed that she never wore a skirt. Jamie despised anything girly growing up, which only puzzled me even more seeing her appearance now.

An ear-splitting grin traces her face, and I can't stop myself from throwing my arms around her in a much too tight embrace.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stupidly, burying myself deeper into the hug.

Jamie scoffs, pulling away to poke my arm. "Your dumb ass, duh. And you totally owe me 'cuz I had to bribe your mom to let me take you down myself. She glared and said she'd go get the car. I'm hurt that she still thinks I'm some delinquent, you know?"

I laughed, and kicked the gown aside. Soon, I observed as Jamie's eyes drifted down my exposed form. I started to wrap my arms around my mid drift self consciously when her hand on my arm stops me. Silver eyes flickered to mine briefly as her other hand reached out to touch the raised scar above my bellybutton. Where I was stabbed.

"Damn, Ash," She mutters, trying to keep herself composed. After a second, Jamie takes her hand away, and clears her throat. "But chicks dig scars, right? This just totally ups her hotness."

I shook my head then, only to be met by a pair of jeans being thrown in my face. I glared up at Jamie, who only smirked, and crossed her arms impatiently.

"Haven't got all day, Davies," She says, and I rolled my eyes.

I unrolled the jeans out in front of me, lifting up one leg carefully into one of the pant legs. Once that was out of the way, I pulled the white beater over my head, ignoring Jamie's fake yawn.

...

We entered the elevator, with Jamie's arm slung comfortably around my shoulders. As the last person occupying the elevator exited, I reached over and pushed the button that'd take us the the first floor.

"You know what I think?" She propositions, as the door slids closed. "I think a welcome back party is in order."

I raised an eyebrow. "Technically, I didn't go anywhere, JayJay."

She shrugs. "Fine. A waking up party then."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"PLEASE!"

I threw her arm off of me, turning around to look up at my friend. "JayJay, come on. No party, please?"

Jamie nods, and I smiled in relief, lifting her arm back onto my shoulders. The doors open seconds later, and we stepped out into the front lobby. It was there that I saw Kyla, Aiden, and Spencer waiting nearby. Spencer spots me then, and starts walking over.

"I still can't believe you didn't tap that," Jamie murmurs, dissaprovingly, and I elbow her in the side.

"Hey you," Spencer greets, brushing her hand down my arm briefly. "You all set?"

I nodded, too wrapped up in the beauty that was Spencer's smile to form words. Jamie cleared her throat at me, and I snapped my eyes away quickly before I embarrassed myself even further.

"Nice to see you again, Carlin," Jamie says, casually. "Good to see it's not from horrible circumstances this time."

Spencer smiled politely. "Yes, you too Jamie."

My eyes narrowed as I listened to their conversation, glancing up to look at my friend. The weird way Jamie's eyes glittered as she looked at Spencer then, like conspiratorially, had unnerved me. It meant that she was about to do something which I'd most likely wouldn't agree with.

"Oh, right. I was meaning to ask you something," Jamie adds, removing her arm from my shoulder. "You're single, right?"

_Excuse me? _I double-taked at the question, eyeing Jamie suspiciously. When Spencer's eyes caught mine a few seconds later, I tried horribly to not look as surprised as I'd felt.

Spencer raised an eyebrow at the smug girl. "I am, why?"

"Well, I have this friend," Jamie starts, purposely avoiding my gaze. "They're in town for a few days, and wants to see the sites of Columbus. But I don't want to deal with them. So, I was thinking maybe you could show them around? You obviously know the city, and hey, maybe you two will hit it off. Why not make it a blind date of some sorts?"

_A blind date? Seriously? _My fists clenched angrily as I fought the urge to strangle Jamie Bristow. Fought _very_ hard.

Thankfully, there's indecision on Spencer's face. "Well, I'm not so sure about that—"

"Please, I'm desperate," Jamie interrupts her, looking actually desperate. "All I need is a few hours, tops. Just to take them off my hands."

I watched helplessly as Spencer sighed, considering the offer. "Alright, I guess it couldn't hurt to—"

Jamie claps her hands. "Super, it's a date! Okay, I'll have Ash give me your digits, so I can call you with the details."

And just like that, She's sprinting over to Kyla and Aiden, leaving us alone.

"So, she's setting me up on a date?" Spencer asks, amused at the idea. Me on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled.

"Seems so doesn't it?" I grumbled, glaring at the devil in question from a far. _What the hell is she up to?_

Spencer, being ever so perceptive, senses my uneasiness. "Are you okay?"

I chose to take a breath, forcing myself to push back my anger. With a convincingly fake smile, I nodded at my best friend as we walked out.

* * *

**R&R.**


	17. Chap17: Locked Hearts & Hand Grenades

**Disclaimer still stands.**

_**Previously: **__And just like that, She's sprinting over to Kyla and Aiden, leaving us alone._

_"So, she's setting me up on a date?" Spencer asks, amused at the idea. Me on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled._

_"Seems so doesn't it?" I grumbled, glaring at the devil in question from a far. What the hell is she up to?_

_Spencer, being ever so perceptive, senses my uneasiness. "Are you okay?"_

_I chose to take a breath, forcing myself to push back my anger. With a convincingly fake smile, I nodded at my best friend as we walked out._

**__****____*************  
****____********UPDATE: EDITED.  
*************

* * *

**

**Chapter Seventeen : Locked Hearts & Hand Grenades**

**Two Days Later**

**(Ashley POV)**

I'm glaring into my bowl of ice cream, dreading what today was for the hundredth time since I woke up this morning.

Tonight, only a few hours from now, Spencer would meet Jamie's friend/ blind fucking date.

Who wasn't me. Bitch.

You know what's worse, Jamie wouldn't even tell me why she did it, or who this friend was. She just kept avoiding the subject every time I brought it up. We only have two days left together before her and Aiden have to go back to L.A. I didn't want to be mad at her, but she didn't give me any choice. Ugh, what the hell's going on with her?

I clanked my bowl down onto the counter, too annoyed to eat the rest. That's when I heard the doorbell. So, I trudged out of the kitchen and sprinted to open the door. If I would've known who was on the other side right then, I wouldn't have even moved.

"Oh, it's you," I grumbled, growling at the last word, before slamming the door Jamie's face.

I pressed my back against the door, rolling my eyes at the instant pounds from the other side. Over dramatic, check. But I think she deserves as much right now.

"Come on, Ash," Jamie says, from the other side. "Don't be mad."

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't be fucking mad? Really, JayJay?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" She replied, softer. "I'm sorry...I don't know what else to say."

Shaking my head at the seemingly sincere apology, I turned around and opened the door. Jamie was on the other side, leaning against the wall to the right of the door. The completely apologetic expression on her face was the only thing that stopped me from yelling in her face.

"You knew how much she means to me," I whisper, crossing my arms. "You were the only person I ever spilled my fucking past to in L.A., and I trusted that you'd at least have my back. Why would you set Spencer up on fucking blind date? And when I'm standing next to you at that? Why JayJay? I think I deserve that much."

"I don't know."

Jamie drops her gaze to her shoes, taking a deep breath.

"It wasn't meant to be a cock block, I swear," She adds, throwing up her arms in defense. "I really did need someone to show em' around. The kid annoys me, Ash."

I raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Why won't you tell me who it is?"

"Because it's not important," She starts, shrugging the question away. "Besides, if it all starts going sour for us, then we'll do it the hard way. Kidnap Spencer from the blind date and bring her to you. Piece of cake."

"Good luck," I replied, snorting at the image.

The tortured expression on her face softened then, and Jamie gives me a faint smile as our eyes connected from across the short distance.

"Spencer's an awesome chick," She mutters, with more meaning behind those words than intended.

"She is," I agreed.

"If anyone was worthy enough to have you, it'd be Spencer," Jamie says, pushing off the wall. My eyes never left hers as she neared the door frame where I stood, reaching up a hand to brush her fingers through my tangled short hair. But the way she was looking into my eyes then unnerved me, because it was a familiar look we'd shared after we'd decided to be just friends. Anxious and torn.

"I hope she knows how lucky she is," She whispers, leaning into chastely kiss my forehead.

"JayJay," I urged, holding my breath. Things like this, so_ intimate_, were still a little hard to get use to after our history. Jamie just nods, stepping back to a safe distance.

"So, are we cool?" She asks, biting her lip nervously. I bowed my head down, thinking it over, and looked up into her big puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, Jellybean," I sighed, stepping out into the hallway to throw my arms around her neck. "Of course, we're cool."

A smile breaks across Jamie's face, and she clapped her hands once in excitement.

"Yes!That's rockin' man," She beams, before looking down at her watch. "Damn, I really gotta be somewhere soon, Ash. You know what, let's grab some coffee after, okay? I'll call you."

I grinned, watching as she inched further away from me down the driveway of my home before disappearing inside of her car.

**(Jamie POV)**

"Shit, son. That was too fucking close," I mumbled to myself as I drove away from Ashley's house.

_I wanna fuck you hard!  
I wanna feel you deep!  
I wanna rock your body!  
I wanna taste your sweet!  
I wanna fuck you hard!  
I wanna feel you deep—_

I groaned, scrambled into my pockets to find the source of the ringing. Pressing speaker, I tossed my phone onto the seat.

"God dammit, Aiden," I barked. "I told you to stop fucking changing my ring tones, you sick little fucker."

"_Bullshit, Bristow," _He snapped back, but I could hear him smiling._ "You know, you love it. Come on, baby, just embrace your inner pervert."_

"Whatever," I mumbled, fighting off a smirk. "Anyway, did you do it?"

"_Yeah, I'm on my way to Spencer's now," _He responded, tone serious. "_So, how'd it go in there?_"

"As well as lying to your best friend can be, I guess." I sighed, fingers gripping tighter on the steering wheel. "This better work, Aid."

**(Spencer POV)**

I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard knocking on my bedroom door. Hearing Aiden's voice on the other side, I quickly wrapped a towel around my waist, and bounced to the unlock the door. Once I unlocked it, and it's swinging open behind me, I make me way into my closet to grab a pair of jeans. I stepped out of my closet a few seconds later to Aiden's eyes widening at my form, quickly turning around with his hands covering his face.

"Jesus, Spencer," He mumbles through his arms. "God, you could've warned me!"

I glanced down at myself, realizing I was still only draped in a towel.

"It's okay, Aiden," I say, giggling at the blabbering teen as I brushed my damp hair. "We're all girls here."

Aiden scoffs, turning around to face me reluctantly. "No, you're a girl. I'm a guy. Just because I like both flavors doesn't mean I'm not going to—Dammit, nevermind."

I rolled my eyes as he throws himself at my bed, pouting perfusely, like some adorable toddler.

"I'm gonna get some clothes on," I tell him, walking back into my closet. Throwing the towel aside, I quickly rummaged aorund for a blouse to wear before Aiden caught sight of my naked body and had a heart attack.

"So, where am I driving you again?" Aiden asks.

"SandBrook Cafe over on fifth. It's by King," I called out to him, pulling on my jeans. My eyes scanned the clothes around me, searching for my bra which was nowhere to be found."Hey, Aiden? Can you look for a black lace bra? I think I left it somewhere by my bed."

After hearing only silence, I covered my bare chest with the towel, and stepped out of the closet.

Aiden sitting upright on the bed, looking around before starting to squirm uncomfortably in his spot. My eyes narrowed curiously as he reached an arm underneath him and pulled out the bra I'd been looking for. His face flushes, wide eyes flitting over to meet mine.

"Um. Found it."

"Thanks."

I laughed, leaning over to retrieve the bra before walking back into the closet. Ten minutes later, I walked out fully dressed in my jeans, a low-cut black dress draped over them, and flats. Though, I wasn't really excited that I was going on a blind date, I still wanted to look presentable. I stepped past Aiden's body on the bed as he flipped threw some girl magazine, clasping Ashley's friendship necklace around my neck.

I smiled down at the glittering metal laying perfectly on my chest, and ran my fingers across the engraving there. When Aiden shuffles up to his feet behind me, I instinctively removed my fingers, and ran a brush through my hair.

"Wow," Aiden breathes, as I turned around to face him. "You look hot."

"Why, thank you." I curtsy, smiling at his frankness. "But remember, you have a boyfriend now. Rory wouldn't like you going around saying your girl friends are hot and such."

"Yeah, probably not," He agrees, chuckling to himself. Then, he's grinning. "Still can't believe it, you know? I mean, I have a boyfriend now."

"You sure do, Aid," I laughed, grabbing onto his head and leading him out of my room. "Come on, I'm gonna be late."

**(Ashley POV)**

I entered the familiar Coffee Shop, searching for Jamie.

When I didn't see her, I looked back down at the scribbled name on the instructions she'd given me so we could meet and have coffee. It was definately the right place, so I just settled myself down at a table and waited for her to show. Twenty minutes later, I found myself still alone at the table and Jamie still M.I.A.

Slightly annoyed, I stood to my feet, and trudged over to the front desk.

"Excuse me, Miss?" I asked, getting the girl at the station's attention. "Has a Jamie Bristow called for anyone?"

I watched as the girl's face twists into confusion as she shuffled through the call slips. "No, I'm sorry. No one by that name has left any messages."

"Thank you," I mumbled, taking in a forced breath, as I returned to my table and sat down. _I'll give her five more minutes. Then I'm out of here._

**(Jamie POV) **

Sitting in my car, I peered through the binoculars, and into the windows of the SandBrooke Cafe across the street.

"There you are," I murmured to myself, spotting Ashley's disgruntled form through one of the windows.

"She looks really pissed off," I add, slightly scared to deal with the rath of Ashley again. I rummaged through my pockets, flipping my phone open, and pressing redial.

"_Talk to me_," Aiden answers, after the second ring.

"It's show time," I whisper, hanging up.

**(Aiden POV)**

"Copy that," I replied, ending the call, and quickly tossing my phone in my lap.

"Who was that?" Spencer asks, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Oh, uh. It was just Kyla," I sputtered, lamely. _Yeah, she totally believed that._

"Really?" She presses on, thankfully looking more curious to know than suspicious. "What'd she want?"

I only shrugged, seeing that we'd arrived at the cafe sooner than I'd expected. I turned the wheel, pulling the car over just a few yards in front of the cafe. Spencer looks at the cafe intently and I take that as my opportunity to search for Jamie's car. I spotted the familiar vehicle just a few parked cars behind me, instantly zeroing in on Jamie's surprised face looking at me as well.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I hear Spencer whisper beside me, turning her head to look at me. Noticing this, Jamie dives down in her car quickly before she's seen.

"Why not?" I choked, feeling my heart racing in panic already. "Is it because of Ashley?"

Spencer only sighed, running a hand through her hair. After a second, whatever she was going to say is gone, and she's opening the door.

"Thanks for the ride, Aiden," She says, waving me goodbye before walking into the cafe.

Once the coast was clear, I climbed out of my car, and sprinted over towards Jamie's and got inside. She only glares, throwing a pair of binoculars my way.

**(Ashley POV)**

"Where the fuck is she?" I sneered under my breath, startling a man beside me.

"Shit. Sorry," I grumbled, giving up and hopping off the chair to head back to the front station. "Alright, if a Jamie Bristow comes in, tell her Ashley Davies left because she didn't want to wait for her lazy ass anymore. Got it? Good."

I turned on my heel, walking away from the stunned girl before she could stutter out a reply. As I made my way towards the entrance of the cafe, my eyes couldn't help but drift over the random people scattered about the place. A face stands out in the small crowded place, making me stop in my tracks.

"Hold up," I murmured, turning around to have another look at the blonde girl sitting at the far corner of the cafe. "Spencer?"

Spencer's head lifts up at the mention of her name, turning around in her chair to meet my eyes. By the way her eyes widened, she seemed just as suprised as I was to see her here. Without a second thought, I made my way over to her table.

"What are you doing here?" She questions back, setting down her mug of what I guessed was hot cocoa. Spencer never did like coffee.

"Meeting Jamie, or was _suppose _to," I answered, rolling my eyes. "But I guess you're here for your, um, date."

Spencer nods. "Yeah."

"Well, I should leave you alone then," I told her, ignoring how strained my voice sounded. "Wouldn't want to intrude or anything. Well, I guess I'll call you later, Spence."

I managed a smile and walked away from the table, though, I knew it wouldn't fool Spencer.

"Can you stay?"

I stopped to a halt for the second time, glancing over my shoulder to meet hopeful blue eyes.

"I mean, until you know," Spencer starts, smiling meekly. "I'd really like it if you stayed, please?"

Turned my body straight ahead again, I closed my eyes as I thought over the pros and cons of the offer. It didn't take me long to realize that the pros were way longer than the cons. For the obvious reason, by going back, I'd get to spend more time with Spencer.

I sighed, turning around.

"You are so lucky you're cute, Carlin."

* * *

**R&R.**


	18. Chap18: Calm Before The Storm

**Disclaimer : I own Notta.  
****  
Previously: **_"Can you stay?" I stopped to a halt for the second time, glancing over my shoulder to meet hopeful blue eyes._

_"I mean, until you know," Spencer starts, smiling meekly. "I'd really like it if you stayed, please?"_

_Turned my body straight ahead again, I closed my eyes as I thought over the pros and cons of the offer. It didn't take me long to realize that the pros were way longer than the cons. For the obvious reason, by going back, I'd get to spend more time with Spencer._

_I sighed, turning around._

_"You are so lucky you're cute, Carlin."_

*******  
****UPDATE: EDITED.  
***********

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen : Calm Before The Storm**

**(Ashley POV)**

Spencer's laughing at me, smacking my arm. "I can't believe you brought that up...and I did not, by the way."

I shook my head, smiling along with her. "Oh my god, yes, you totally did. Wow."

"Shut up! No, I didn't. " I glared at my best friend as she crossed her arms, pouting at me.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, come on! You can't tell me you didn't look like a dude in your cute little vest and tie? I mean, a fourth grade girl decides to dress up as a guy on Halloween? Really Spence?"

Spencer scoffed. "I couldn't think of anything else!Plus, you went as a freaking stupid old witch!"

"Correction _Sir_, I was the beautiful Glenda from Wizard of Oz," I corrected, smiling widely at her flustered cheeks. Spencer shook her head at me, stiffening her jaw.

My smile faltered slightly._ Crap. Great, now I feel bad. _I groaned, shifting closer to Spencer.

"If it makes you feel any better," I whispered, trying to sound casual, and she glances at me briefly. I leaned back into my chair, ignoring my sweaty palms. "You did look kind of adorable."

Big, dopey blue eyes raise to mine, asking timidly, "Kind of?"

I grunted, rolling my eyes again. "Okay, okay. Extremely adorable. Happy?"

My eyes slam shut, and I groan internally at my sudden confession.

"Thanks."

I squinted through one eye, seeing her staring at me with a small smile on her face. I opened both eyes and awkwardly grinned back, feeling myself calming down a bit more. We stayed like that for a few more moments until Spencer's eyes widen and look down at her watch.

"I guess this person isn't coming after all."

"What makes you say that?" I muttered, fighting the urge to gag at the reminder of Spencer's blind date.

"Well, they were suppose to be here two hours ago."

"I see. Sorry, Spence. " I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, trying to hide the fact that my face fell dramatically at her worried expression. After a second, I feel warm skin cover the top of my hand, realizing I must have zoned out. Spencer's leaning over the table, giving me a gentle smile as she squeezed my hand.

"In a way, I'm glad they didn't come, you know? Because if they would've, well, you wouldn't be here with me now."

I cleared my throat, giving myself an inner squeal of delight. "Yeah, me too."

But when she lets go of my hand a few minutes later, I missed it's warmth on mine and literally had to fight myself from grabbing it again.

**(Jamie POV)**

I feel Aiden's head fall onto my shoulder.

I squirmed away form him immediately, seeing drool spool out of his mouth."Ew, ew, ew! Dude, Aiden, wake the fuck up!"

There's a yawn as he thankfully stirred, muttering,"Sorry." Still yawning, Aiden fumbles with his binoculars and put them up to his face. "What time is it?"

I check my watch, rolling my eyes. "It's 9:53."

Aiden groaned, tossing his binoculars onto the headboard. "They still at it?"

"Still at it," I confirmed, sleepily, my binoculars still firmly in place as I continued gazing back at the two girls inside the building. Aiden leans back into the seat, nudging his head into a propped up jacket.

"Told you," He trailed off, giving into another yawn, "those two are never gonna wake up and smell the gay."

"It'll happen, Aiden," I sighed, starting up my car. "Just hopefully before we die of old age."

**(Spencer POV)**

I straightened myself against my chair, stretching my sore muscles. "I'm thinking we should call it a night."

Ashley's mouth drops open, pouting at me. "What? Come on, the night's still young! Stay with me, please?"

I took a breath, shaking my head. "Ashley, I can't just—"

Ashley's pouting again, and it's so freaking hard not to give in. "Then the park? It's on your way home anyway. Please, Spencer, please?"

I buttoned my jacket, standing up. "Fine."

Ashley giggled, smiling triumphantly. "Yes!"

...

On the way to the park, Ashley and I are walking pass King High, Ashley stopping us when we become aligned with the marble steps of it's entrance. I just stared at her with a confused expression as she continued look shoot glances between the school and myself, grinning mischiefly. I slowly began to piece together what she was forming in her own head, pulling us further away from the high school.

"Oh, no, no we're not, Davies," I managed, but she pulls us both to a stop with her freakish strength. "I don't care what you say, we are not going in there. That's final."

With only a pout and an evil glint in her eyes, it didn't take long for me to be conned by her adorable ways into the high school's grounds. We sneak around to the back of the school. Ashley's still holding my hand as we crouch down avoiding detection. We round a corner slowly seeing the darkened quad in the distance.

She leads us down, me following close behind at her hip, just as the security guard comes into view and swayed his flashlight across the quad. It's rays barely grazed our bodies before Ashley's eyes catch them and push us down into a row of bushes. Before I knew it the side of my face was caked against dirt, falling hard onto the ground. Ashley's lanky body scrambled down along with me soon after. There's a painful pressure against my shoulder blades and a burning throb in my leg. I squirmed around on my back, ignoring the more obvious pressure on top of Ashley's body as she struggled uncomfortably against me. I wiped the side of my face, and squinting down at Ashley. Her face was not that far from my neck as she looked out from the brush at the security guard.

"Ash, what the hell—" I sputtered, before I felt her shift again. I groaned as her small body pressed even more on top of me.

A dirt speckled hand covers my mouth.

"Shh, Spence..."

Dark eyes glittered up above me before her head turned toward the gaurd again. This probably meant he was closer now than I thought he was. A few more seconds passed as she continued to watch him through the bushes, while I silently watched the alarmed expressions on her face change. Swallowing hard, I found myself shifting onto my elbows, wanting to get closer to those intense dark eyes. It was during this small moment of observing of the expressions on her dusty face hovering above mine, that my mind kind of jump started and my body became super aware of the compromising position we were in. Ashley's face softened then, breathing a small sigh of relief as the guard walked out of view down the court yard.

Her head turns back to me again, more closer to mine than she thought. Her mouth opens to apologize but closes it abruptly. I watched in wonder as those brown eyes glittering off the moonlight around us in thought. My whole body heats up instantly, like in some freaking romance book. Ignoring the surging pain in my leg, I focused on the heartbeat I was feeling underneath her shirt. Our closeness maked my pulse quicken, like the stupid hormonal teenager I was.

"Okay, coast's clear, Carlin."

I snapped myself out of it just enough to actually focus on her face again, her lips twisting upward into a goofy smile. Also, if I narrowed my eyes enough, I swear it looked more like a smirk now. Those damn brown eyes reeled me in right there, and I really wish I could've looked away at anywhere but them because I would've given myself away. But I couldn't, to say the least. I was freaking trapped. The waves of of her breathing above me started to get rougher, ragged.

Before I could stop myself, my eyes zeroed in on her lips.

"Spencer?"

Ashley's hand was waving infront of my eyes. I shook my head. "Sorry, I was just—I'm sorry."

"Where'd you go?" She whispers, dusting off some dirt on my nose.

Ashley rested an arm above my shoulder, holding herself up as stared me down with a strange intensity in her eyes that almost made me afraid to answer. I bit my lip, not knowing what else to do but lie—Horribly.

"N-Nowhere."

"Liar." Ashley's head shakes, her heavy loose curls swaying and brushing across the skin of my neck.

The feeling sends a shiver down my limbs, shocking my knee to life. Which I guess had been securely locked underneath, and from the small gasp of _something_ that leaves her mouth then, _between her legs_.

My eyes widen in shock, and Ashley curses underneath her breath.

For a second—and I seriously think I'm dreaming this—Ashley bowed her head down at me, eyes lidded and even darker than I'd seen earlier. I knew that look, I mean, come on. I wasn't _that_ naive. It was lust, like, literal lust, and it made my stomach twist up in knots. Oh my god, I can't believe I accidentally _turned on_ Ashley Davies. That was when I kind of started to panick, quickly removing my leg from where it was. My elbows snapped loose, and my back thudded against the dirt. It was there when I started to backtrack, thinking of an excuse, anything. In the end, I decided to play dumb.

"Ashley, you gonna get off of me now?" I asked, pulling on a slightly besumed expression, and hoping it was believable. "Or, are you just gonna drool on me all night?"

"Huh? Oh, right," She mumbles, stumbling off me and hitting the dirt.

Even in the dark, I could see how heated Ashley's cheeks were, almost laughing at how hot and bothered she looked. After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Ashley peeked over the brush once before standing on her feet. I watched as she brushed herself off quickly, avoiding my eyes.

That was when the pain in my leg crossed my conciousness again. I hissed under my breath, feeling it worsen by the second.

"Spencer?" I hear her ask, kneeling down beside me. "You alright?"

"Yeah," I stammered, lamely, and limped up to my feet. I groaned. "No, it's fine. It's just my leg."

When I lose my balance and nearly fell backwards, Ashley was there to hold me up, throwing her arm around my shoulders. We wriggled out of the bushes and out onto a bench in the quad. She helped sat me down onto the bench slowly and knelt down infront of me with an expactant look.

"It's probably just a scratch—" Instead of protesting, Ashley gently lifted my leg and rested it on the bench. She gently unzipped my boots and pushed them aside, hesitantly pulling up the leg of my jeans. I gripped her shoulder, hissing in pain again. She stopped for a second, taking one of my hands as she continued pulling at my pant leg, seeing the cut getting bigger.

"Oh, my—Wow, you must've got nagged on something." Ashley turned away, scowling deeply.

"Is it that bad?" She was practically going to faint, so I almost didn't look myself. When I did, I rolled my eyes.

"Ashley, it's fine," I whispered, leaning against her. "I almost forgot how much of a squeamish dork you are."

**(Ashley POV)**

"So, " Spencer says, after a minute of us just sitting there on the bench. "Is there a reason why you dragged me to school after hours, into a bush, and now sitting on a bench with a scraped leg?"

"What, I can't _want_ to spend time with my best friend?"

"No," Spencer deadpans seriously.

I rolled my eyes. "What ever. You know you miss me when I'm not with you."

"You have no idea," She whispers after a second, leaning her head on my shoulder. I bite my lip to keep from smiling.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" I dug into my pocket, whipping out my pocket knife.

Spencer shrieked, leaning away with mock horror. "It doesn't have to end this way!"

I narrowed my eyes. "It's to carve something, Dufus."

"What, to carve into my flesh!" Spencer gasps, starting to laugh. I just point the knife at her with a death glare, twirling the blade around, telling her to turn the other way. She sticks her tongue out at me, but does what I say, and I find a place on the bench. After a few minutes, I observed my work with a smile. There in the far corner of one of the planks holding the bench steady, was a small but very noticable marking that I'm sure would be there as long as the bench still stood. _'Spencer and Ashley, forever and always.' _I trailed my fingers over the names fodly, before standing up.

When I tell her can turn around now, I'm already putting the knife into my pocket.

"What did you carve?" She asks.

"A duck," I shrugged, winking. "Now I think we should get up home. Now stop staring and get up, Carlin."

She scrambles to her feet, and limps up to my side. I giggled, throwing my arm around her shoulders to help her walk without stumbling. We decided to walk back to the cafe, and I drove her home after that.

...

I walked her through the door of her bedroom, throwing her onto the bed, and walking into the bathroom. I come out with an armful of bandages, scissors, and a bottle of alcohol and tossed them beside her.

"Okay, take em' off."

"Excuse me?" Spencer asked, and I point to her pants. "What? No—Why?"

"What, afraid I'll see your _panties, _Spence?" I gasped, dramatically, and sat down next to her. "Now, take em' off."

"...Fine," She whispered, crossing her arms. "But turn around."

Once again, I roll my eyes, turning away. A few seconds later, my eyes began to wonder, innociently, and they caught Spencer's reflection on the bathroom mirror. I froze slightly, darting them down. Though, being that I have a very weak will, and let's face it, it's _Spencer_, they were soon back on the mirror again. Peering at her reflection, I watched silently as she remove her pants delicately, carefully peeling them down over her hurt leg. I swallowed, noticing the action had revealed her long, toned legs. _Jesus Christ._ My fists clench against my crossed arms, knuckles turning white from the pressure. I almost whimpered at Spencer quickly putting shorts over them. Then, she whispers that I can turn around soon after and I oblige.

"Why are you smiling?" I eyed her slightly smug smile as she tossed her pants aside. I sat down next to her, gathering up the supplies, and proceeded to clean her leg.

She shrugged, yet still smiling. "No reason."

When I was finished, and her wound didn't quite make me queasy anymore, I got up and grabbed my coat. "I should jet, Spence. School's tomorrow."

"You don't have to be back for another week, Ash."

I threw my coat over my shoulders as she gets up. "I'm not staying home and doing nothing for another week."

"I'm not complaining, believe me," She says. "I just don't want anything bad—" I stepped closer, taking her hands in mine. I stayed there, pleading with serious eyes.

"Spence, I'm fine, really," I whispered, and she nods. Soon after that, there's a knock at Spencer's door, and she drops our hands as it opens. It's Kyla.

"I've been looking for you for two hours, Ashley Davies," She growled at me, stepping into the room. "But no! This place went all twilight zone, and I couldn't even find anyone. Anyway, I came to tell you that the school is planning something for you tomorrow."

"What?" Spencer and I both yelled.

"I'm not even suppose to know, it's very hush hush," She says. "Just giving you a heads—What happened to your leg?"

"She fell?" I muttered lamely, Spencer shrugging beside me. Kyla doesn't fall for it, putting her hands on her hips.

"No, I did fall—kind of,"Spencer choked, turning to me. "Help?"

I nodded, trying to think. "Well, we went for a walk...in the quad."

"Why were you at school?"Kyla asks, eying me suspiciously. "I thought you were meeting up with Jay?"

"She didn't show," I tell her, annoyed just thinking about her. "Left me there waiting like a dumbass."

"Then how'd you two," She trailed off, pointing between us.

"She was waiting for mystery date," I explained, rolling my eyes. "Turns out IT didn't show either. We talked for awhile, then decided it'd be fun to sneak into King." Spencer scoffed beside me."Okay, _I_ thought it would be—" Kyla's phone rang.

"Hey Jay, where you at? Right," Kyla had murmured into the phone before hanging up. "Jay said she's sorry about not showing up earlier."

My anger flared at that. "Where the hell was she then?"

"Um. Didn't get that part?" Kyla said innocently, throwing her arms up and walking out the door. "I'm going home. I'll see you there."

Spencer's quiet giggle breaks me out of my silent fuming. "What?"

"I think I know why she didn't show, Ash," She says, still smiling as she sits down. I just stare at her, missing what she's trying to get at. "Come on, Ashley, think about it. We were _both_ suppose to meet people in the same place, same time and _both_ didn't show."

I just stared at her for a second, thinking everything through, until it smacked me in the face. I pressed a hand against my lips, eyes widening. "Oh god."

"Yeah," she whispers, and I sit next to her, starting to smile along with her.

"Wow, I mean, all this time I thought...," I trailed off, shaking my head. "So, that's why she asked you if you were single. Wait, there's no mystery person?—Yes!" I smacked my hand over my mouth, stopping myself from saying anything else.

Oh, crap. _Did I say that out loud?_

Spencer's not laughing anymore, but she's looking at me with this curious face, yet still amused by the whole idea. "What?"

"Uh, I mean—" The words wouldn't come, I had nothing else to say. I had already dug my own grave.

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	19. Chap19:IT all comes down part 1

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Disclaimer : South of Nowhere isn't mine.

**************Previously: **_"I think I know why she didn't show, Ash," She says, still smiling as she sits down. I just stare at her, missing what she's trying to get at. "Come on, Ashley, think about it. __We were __both suppose to meet people in the same place, same time and both didn't show."_

_I just stared at her for a second, thinking everything through, until it smacked me in the face. I pressed a hand against my lips, eyes widening. "Oh god."_

_"Yeah," she whispers, and I sit next to her, starting to smile along with her._

_"Wow, I mean, all this time I thought," I trailed off, shaking my head. "So, that's why she asked you if you were , there's no mystery person?—Yes!" I smacked my hand over my mouth, stopping myself from saying anything else. Oh crap. Did I say that out loud?_

_Spencer's not laughing anymore, but she's looking at me with this curious face, yet still amused by the whole idea. "What?"_

_"Uh, I mean—" The words wouldn't come, I had nothing else to say. I had already dug my own grave._

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Chapter 19 : It All Comes Down To This Part 1

(Ashley POV)

"What?"

Spencer asks me for the second time, but I can't answer her. My heart pounded in my throat;If I opened my mouth, I'm afraid would will jump out.

"Did you just say—"

"No," I chirped, feeling my face heating from embarrassment of my slip up. "No, I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did."

"No—"

"_Yes_," she says simply, no trace of a smile on her face. "You were happy that there wasn't really a guy. It wasn't like we were gonna get married, Ash...I mean, you sound like you're jealous or something."

"What, don't be ridiculous, Spence," I dismissed, waving off her words, but the knife was already twisting. But I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready. _God, dammit, I'm not ready for this._

"I wasn't happy _or_ jealous."

There's a beat of silence and it kills me. It kills me because the look on her face meant that she wasn't going to let this go this time.

"You were happy," She whispers, tilting her head as her eyes burned into my face. I couldn't look away from her now, I couldn't hide or pull away. She didn't look nearly as terrified as I was, but she wasn't estatic either. I looked down then, unable to bare it any longer. But her hands there, pulling my chin up to find her eyes again.

"You were happy," Spencer utters once more, quietly, like it was the hardest riddle in the world.

My hand finds hers, moving it away from my chin. This didn't give us any distance, instead, she moved closer. "What are you not telling me?"

"Spencer, don't." I leaned away from her then, standing and backing up until my back hit the wall farthest from her. "Don't touch me."

She's looking at me like I'd just burned her favorite shirt and all I want to do is get out of there. Before I could even rethink it, I was heading for the door with a muttered excuse, my feet itching to run down those stairs and out of this house.

My fingers hit the cold metal of the doornob when I hear it. It's distant, like she was across the street instead just a few feet away from me.

"Ashley."

I stood, stone still and terrifed. I can hear her breathing, but I can't go to her. I couldn't just leave her like this either. I turn around, pressing my back against the cold oak door.

"You were my _best_ friend," She says, and she's not looking at me anymore.

Her eyes are on the floor.

"We weren't perfect, but we were something. Something that no one else got, but we did. But you moved away, you left me, and that something was shattered to pieces. I wasn't only _yours_ anymore."

I can hear the tears in her voice, but I can't make them go away.

"We lied to eachother when we were kids," She says finally, and I tear my eyes up to meet hers. "We were scared and didn't want everything to change. So, we kept quiet. But we aren't kids anymore, Ashley Davies. We will not ruin whatever _something_ we have now just because we're scared to speak up."

She's standing now, one foot behind the other, as she slowly made her way across the wood floor. Her fingers gripped onto my own, which were starting to tremble now. I shake my head, pulling away again.

"No," she whispers, holding on tighter. "No more running."

After a second, she snakes her arms up my sides and cradles my face in her hands. My face burns, my eyes watering with tears, and I hate it. I don't want to crumple and give in and be weak. What I really want to do is run away screaming and never look back. But no matter how many times I say it, I know it'll never happen. Because it's Spencer. I could've been with her, but I was too scared, so, I ran. I told myself lies to feed the fear and kept running. I've been running away from her for a long time and she never deserved it.

I exhaled._ No more running._

My legs give out, finally, and I slide down the wall. When her hand's on mine, I winced, feeling the moisture in my eyes getting worse. Spencer moves to sit next to me, still holding onto my hand, and I found myself holding her for dear life.

"It's okay, sweetie, I'm here," She whispers, and my heart stings at the words. After a few more moments of her whispering soft reasurrances in my ear, I found that I couldn't fight sleep any longer. The last thing I remember before blacking out was Spencer's fingers gently stroking my hair.

...

My eyes opened slowly, squinting at the dimmed light of what I realized was Spencer's bedroom. I was still in Spencer's bedroom. As I layed there for a few seconds, today's recent events dawning over me. I could still feel myself wrapped up within her embrace, but couldn't find her face. My eyes moved until I spotted Spencer's head resting against the wall.

I barely worked up the courage to speak. "Hey." Spencer's head lifts up off the wall, looking down at me with a small smile.

"Have you been awake this whole time?" Spencer nods attentively. I cleared my throat, feeling like I hadn't drank anything in days. "I'm sorry."

"You did nothing wrong," She whispers,"I should be the one—"

"No, you're right," I interrupted, lifting myself off of Spencer to sit beside her against the wall. "No more running."

"Thank you," She murmurs, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

I sighed, bring my knees up to my chest as I faced Spencer. "So, what do we do now?"

"Now, we talk." Spencer reaches for my hand, squeezing it.

Across the room, the door opens and Spencer's dad emerges with a big smile. "Good night, Spence—Oh, well, hello there."

"Oh, hey, Mr. C." I scramble up from Spencer's side, smoothing my clothes. "I'm sorry for staying so late, we fell asleep..."

"It's fine, Ashley, don't worry about it," He says, turning back to leave. "Well, I was just going to say goodnight to Spence. So, I'll be leaving now—"

"Dad, can Ashley stay tonight?" She asked, eyes directly on me. "I promise we won't stay up too late. It's just we have alot of catching up before I...you know."

My eyebrows furrowed, but left it alone for now.

"Okay, just be in bed by 10:30," He instructs, shutting the door, and leaving us alone once more.

"I'm staying over?" I asked her, but she only nods. "Well, okay then. I just have to go home to get some clothes first..."

Spencer gets up, standing beside me. "Okay."

Without saying anything else, she lets me leave the room. Shutting Spencer's door behind me, I take a deep breath and head down the stairs.

**(Spencer POV)**

As soon as Ashley dissapears from behind the door, all the air into the room rushed back into my lungs. My hand flings across my chest, clutching my rapidly beating heart. Tonight was going to be the night, after all these years, I was going to tell her how I felt. God, it made me so scared to even think about it. But I promised her, we wouldn't keep anymore secrets. I have to tell her and that's final. What happens after, happens.

I fall back onto my bed, dialing the first number I could think of.

"God, I can't believe I said that!"

"Who the hell is this? Spencer?" Glen roared on the other end.

"I invited her to stay the night, Glen. What the hell was I thinking?" I whine into the phone.

"Why are you calling me? I'm like, across the hall," He grumbled with a groan. "Okay, what about Ash now?"

"She's staying the night," I explained. "I told her we wouldn't keep secrets anymore, then I told her we'd talk when she gets back. I think I have to tell her."

"And?" He barks back, annoyed. "Spencer, tell her, like now. I'm sure she's got a big lesbian crush on you too, so shut up and go get pretty for your girl. Now, I have a date with a Baywatch marathon in about 5 minutes and a bowl of icecream with my name on it. So,peace."

Glen hung up, and I throw the phone on the floor. I layed there for awhile, thinking of what to tell Ashley. I guess sometime during that, I just fell asleep.

**(Ashley POV)**

I traveled up the stairs of Spencer's house and down the hallway to her room. I stood there and took a deep breath before my hand hits the doornob and twists the door open.

"Spencer I'm—"

I stopped, Spencer's body curled up on her bed. Quietly tossing my clothes down, I sat down next to the sleeping Spencer. For a second, I fought against laying next to her, but that didn't last long. I climbed onto the bed and layed down facing her, taking in her peaceful expression for what seemed like atleast an hour, but I didn't care. Pretty soon after that, her eyes fluttered open and locked with mine.

"Hey...Sorry I didn't want to wake you, so I just..." My voice trailing off, in spite of my best efforts, from not getting lost in the blonde's eyes once again. It reminded me of something we used to do when we were kids after waking up one morning after a sleepover. I'd always write this one quote I'd heard in a song on all the notes we'd slip eachother in class. I smiled, propping myself up one one elbow, and smirked down at the sleepy girl. "_I swear the sparkle in your eyes put the stars to shame..._"

Spencer's eyes lit up then, and she smiled. "God, I can't believe you remembered that. You used to tell me that all the time."

"Yeah, I was pretty corney back then," I giggled, laying onto my back. "I wish I remembered the other one, I mean, I only said it a few times...But you really liked that one."

"I remember it," She whispers, softly, and I cranned my neck up to look at her. She closes her eyes, thinking, and opens them again. _"You know, sometimes I wondered why life was worth it. Then I would look into your eyes, and know it was worth it. It had to be if I could see them everyday."_

Her hand catches mine, grasping onto it with a fond smile. "I love falling asleep next to you."

"Me too,"I replied, closing my eyes at the touch.

"You wanna know something?" She asks, bringing our intertwined hands to her chest. "When I was little, my mom took brother and I to the park. I was sitting down under a tree when I saw this little girl crying on the swings." I opened my eyes, feeling hers on me, and sure enough Spencer was smiling lovingly at my curious expression. "I couldn't understand why such a beautiful girl like her would be crying. I was so caught off gaurd by the idea that I didn't see a Glen walking by and push me." Spencer giggles wistfully and my mouth falls open. "The next thing I knew, I was on the ground shaking and completely terrified. But all that went away when that same crying girl was defending me for no reason other than I was hurt, and she needed to help me."

My lips curved upwards in a smug grin. "I'm the little girl, aren't I?"

Spencer laughed. "You're really my hero, you know that? I'm really glad I met you."

I beamed."Diddo, Spence."

We stayed there in a comfortable silence for awhile, just laying side by side with our eyes closed. My mind had been racing the whole time, blocking me from falling entirely to sleep. Sighing in frustration, I opened my eyes and rolled over to face Spencer. It took me nearly another half hour to prepare the biggest speech of my life while the girl I loved slept soundly next to me. This must be the worst time in the world, but I couldn't wait anymore.

"Spencer?" I whispered into the silence after building up my courage.

She barely stirred, but replied a soft, "Hm?"

With that, she was already sleeping again. It took my fingers trailing across her cheek a few seconds later for Spencer's eyes to flutter open.

"Mmm, you 'kay?" She murmurs, rubbing her eyes lazily.

"I'm wanna tell you my secret now," I admitted, whatever words I had prepared next suddenly caught in my throat now.

This sobers Spencer up a little, and she shuffles herself upright and stretched. I sat up in the bed, sitting indian style beside her. I ran my fingers across my thighs anxiously, forcing myself to keep going.

"Alright, Ash, I'm listening," She whispers, encouragingly.

"Okay, well..." I took in a shuddered breath, trying to calm myself down. "Do _you_ wanna know something?"

She gives me a sloppy smile, nodding her head, which only made me more nervous. _Okay, here we go._

"From the _moment_ I left Ohio, I thought about you every day," I confessed quietly.

Spencer's body straightens beside me.

"But it's more than that. From the moment I met you in that damn park, it's like, I couldn't _not_ think about you. You became my world." I looked away from my lap for the first time since I started talking, and looked into Spencer's eyes. "When I left, I tried to let you go, telling myself that you'd be happier without me. I told myself I could live without seeing you again, that I didn't miss you, that I didn't..."

I sucked in another breath, rubbing at the tears in my eyes, and looked back down. _Jesus Christ. _I was really doing this.

Spencer's voice pulls me back, soft and patient. "Didn't what?"

"That I didn't love you so damn much," I muttered, the eratic beating of my heart overshadowing anything else," hoping that someday I would believe it."

Blue eyes narrowed at me, as if I was some bomb she was trying to defuse with her mind. That same confusion dissapeared the moment Spencer saw the tear spilling over my eyelid and down my cheek. I close my eyes feeling warm fingers tangling with mine.

"But I couldn't forget you," I whispered, biting the bullet and looking her dead in the eyes. "I'd never forget the girl I've loved since I was five."

As soon as those words left my mouth, I felt like a bus had been lifted off my shoulders, and my shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

There it was; no going back now.

After a second, once I knew she'd figured it out, Spencer's hand leaves mine. My lip trembles, watching her as she stood to her feet. Right then, Spencer's face had been so unreadable and vacant as she stared down at me.

Spencer's arms crossed uncomfortably, shaking her head. "So, you're saying you—that you've loved—" Her mouth closes, as if she literally can't say the words outloud.

"I'm sorry."

It's the only thing I can say. When I realize Spencer hadn't said anything after that, I hesitantly inched over to sit at the edge of the bed, watching her.

"Spencer..."

Nothing.

I stand up, but kept my distance. "You can yell at me, I wouldn't blame you. Just say something, anything, please?"

She bites her lip. "You've had feelings for me since we were kids?"

I hung my head, nodding. "Yes."

She grew quiet again for another endless minute before looking at me, really looking at me, for the first time after I'd told her. She wasn't disgusted or angry or anything like that, which relieved me to no end. But there was something in the way she was looking at me, I mean, she looked so heartbroken and torn and completely in despair. It didn't fit, none of it. She should be mad at me, not looking like she was the ony who just confessed her love for her best friend.

I cracked seeing this, reaching out for her, "Spence—"

She throws her hands up, stopping me from getting any closer. Not even a second later, she's grabbing her coat, and opening the door.

"I just need to think," she whispers, still facing away from me.

"Spence, please," I urged, pleading. From the darkness of the hall, Spencer's head turns back to look at me. Blue eyes glittered with tears and her fists are clenched tightly against her thighs. I took two steps toward her. "We said we wouldn't run away anymore, didn't we? Please, don't go."

When she hears this, her face twists into a mixture of pain and guilt, and only whispered, "I'm sorry."

With that, she shuts the door, leaving me there.

A strangled cry leaves my lips as I fumbled to my knees, drawing my legs up to my chest and sitting against the side of Spencer's bed.

"Don't leave."

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	20. Chap20:IT all comes down part 2

**Disclaimer: SON IS NOT MINE!**

**Previously:** _"I just need to think," she whispers, still facing away from me._

_"Spence, please," I urged, pleading. From the darkness of the hall, Spencer's head turns back to look at me. Blue eyes glittered with tears and her fists are clenched tightly against her thighs. I took two steps toward her. "We said we wouldn't run away anymore, didn't we? Please, don't go."_

_When she hears this, her face twists into a mixture of pain and guilt, and only whispered, "I'm sorry."_

_With that, she shuts the door, leaving me there._

_A strangled cry leaves my lips as I fumbled to my knees, drawing my legs up to my chest and sitting against the side of Spencer's bed._

_"Don't leave."  
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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Chapter 20 : It All Comes Down To This Part 2**

**(Ashley POV)**

No matter how much I wanted to know why Spencer just left me like that, I couldn't just stay there and wait for her to come back—If she would come back.

It was then that I noticed it had started to storm frighteningly bad outside. I walked over to Spencer's window. Thunder rumbled violently every second, trees struck down by lightning were scattered all about the streets. The lighting blew out two power lines that supported the surrounding six blocks, which undoubtedly woke up everyone in the neighborhood. Aurthur, Clay and Glen left to about an hour after Spencer left to help a friend who's tree crashed into their house.

As I sat there beside Spencer's window, in perfect view of the horrible sight outside, my eyes stayed glued to the rumbling sky above me. The tear streaks on my face had long dried since she left me here, so, I didn't have to worry about explaining myself to everyone when they got back.

"Where are you?" I murmured to myself, propping my arms onto the windowsill and rested my head down. As the exhaustion sank further into my consciousness, the rumbling and tumbling of the clouds around me started to slowly fade, and sleep thankfully overcame me minutes later.

...

I had only been out for a few hours when I heard Spencer's door creak open. Straightening up, I reluctantly peeked out through the darkness and saw a figure come into view. The dark figure gently moved about the room before cautiously moving towards me. My head jerks up from underneath my arms, my eyes moving along with the figure as it sits down across from me against the window sill. Probably sensing my distress, they lowered their hood revealing two familiar glittering blue eyes reflecting off the moonlight surrounding us.

I breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring the scratchiness in my throat that gave away I had been crying. But Spencer says nothing, only leaning down to grasp something at her feet and revealed a small circular object. A candle. A small, yellow flame ignites from her hand, lighting a portion of our faces as the candle's flame steadied. Her hair was drenched, matted in braids and stuck to the sides her face. The hood she wore was also drenched beyond repair, smacking wetly against Spencer's wood floor when she peeled it off of her. Droplets of rain covered her arms, dripping off of her pale arms in mass amounts. But she wasn't shivering at all, just sitting there perfectly still.

"I'm sorry," She whispers finally, too soft, my ears straining themselves to hear it. "It was wrong of me, leaving you like that."

I just stare at her for a moment, caught off guard, before stammering out a reply. "It's okay. You had every right, I mean, I probably would've freaked out too—"

"I didn't," She interrupted me, immediately closing her mouth and her eyes. "...freak out."

What I only could imagine was a scoff left my mouth, and I bite my lip not wanting to give her the wrong idea.

An awkward chuckle leaves her lips, meeting my eyes for only a second; A small smile. "Maybe...maybe a little."

I see her light another candle and place it on the floor a few feet away from us. A few seconds later, she stands and slinks down near the candle and I see her face for the first time. She's staring at me with hopeful eyes, silently asking for my forgiveness. Hesitantly, I join her on the floor, sitting Indian style with the candle in front of me and Spencer.

"Where did you go?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Walking, to the park." Spencer takes a breath, looking down at her hands. "I was thinking about..."

My ears perked up in anticipation. "About?"

She looks up at me, the light from the candle barely lighting her face. "About what you said."

"Really?"

Spencer nods once, an intense expression reaching her face now as she scoots closer toward the candle, to me. "Why?"

My eyes narrowed. The way her voice cracked made me wince. "Why, what?"

"Why do you," She paused, running a shaky hand through her dripping hair. "Well, love me?"

I thought for a long moment, taking in her request, before speaking again.

"As cheesy as it sounds," I whispered, smiling fondly at the foggy memory. "One day, I caught myself smiling for no reason. Mom said I hadn't ever really smiled like that before and it made her happy to see that. So, I sat there and thought about it for a second, and that's when I realized I was thinking of you...That's why, Spence."

Spencer only smiles, staring down at the tiny flame that candle had created. She had been sitting quietly the whole time, head tilted to the side as it rested against her knee, listening carefully to every detail and tone of my voice.

"God, I love you for a lot of reasons..." I shrugged off the tears pooling in my eyes, and sighed. "Like, I love that you always laugh at Little Rascals, even if you've seen it a hundred times. Or, that you always listen to me when I talk for hours about stupid stuff, and that you're not embarrassed to call me sweet things in front of everyone..."

I snorted, remembering something else. "Hell, I even love the way you walk when your sad—and that's saying something."

I can hear it then, Spencer giggling softly, and I felt myself feel hope again for the first time that night. I looked up to find her raising a bemused eyebrow at me silently. But there was also a smile there, loving and sweet, and my heart swelled at the sight. After a less awkward silence passes, I watched Spencer purse her lips to speak.

"I have to tell you something."

"_Okayy_," I drawled out, sarcastically, "but can it possibly be worse than you laughing in my face?"

Spencer doesn't look like she's heard this, her expression grave now. I hold my breath.

"A couple of days ago, I got a letter," She says. " I got accepted to that music program I told you about awhile ago. Do you remember?"

I nodded, vaguely recalling the conversation. Immediately, I'm happy for her, but Spencer's sullen expression stops me from doing any congratulations just yet. "Well, aren't you happy?"

She doesn't answer me right away again, just looks down at her fidgeting hands in her lap.

"Ash, I leave in a week," She whispers, and the excitement drains from my face. "For a two whole semesters, I'll be there."

"Oh," I replied, not knowing what else to say. I didn't kind of feel like I was going to pass out though, which I hoped didn't happen. "When were you gonna tell me?"

Spencer sits up straight. "Tonight actually. But with all that happened...I couldn't. After you said what you said, I couldn't go through with it. It would've hurt you more, so I left."

I tore my eyes away from her, and noticed that the sky had cleared a bit, but rain still poured down by the buckets. It angered me, what she said, though, I know she didn't deserve it.

"I'm sorry, Ash," She apologizes, interrupting my thoughts. Knowing Spencer, she probably knew where they had taken me. I watched as she closed and opened her mouth a few times, like she had more to say, but wouldn't say it.

"I should go, "I tell her, standing up and grabbing my coat off her dresser. "Kyla probably thinks I'm drowning in a ditch somewhere or something—"

"Shit, Ash," She says, leaping to her feet, and followed me toward the door. "Ashley, hear me out, please?"

Just as my hand grasped the door nob, I get a feeling of deja' vu as her hand grabs onto my arm. My eyes slam shut in frustration as Spencer's body closes in behind me, still keeping a firm grip on my forearm. Hot breath tickles the back of my neck, making me shiver involuntarily.

"Please, stay with me," She whispers, close enough to my ear to give me goosebumps. Moaning, I gritted my teeth, and craned my neck just enough to catch Spencer's clouded eyes inches from my face.

"Tell me why I should, Spence," I argued, shaking her hand off my arm. "I just told you I _loved _you—Do you get that? _I love you. _I can't stay. "

Turning away from the intense agony etched inside Spencer's gaze, I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

" I finally told you," I say, glancing back to see she's still standing there, that same agonized expression on her beautiful face. "...and you didn't say a word. You didn't you even—No, just forget it."

I bit back any tears I had left from my eyes, slowly walking away from Spencer, and out of her house.

**(No ones POV)**

There Spencer sat, motionless on her floor.

For the past few minutes, after the tear streaks had dried down her cheeks, she'd just been gazing into the bright flame of the candle in front of her. She felt completely at a crossroads, not knowing what do to next in fear of things just becoming more worse than they already were. Tonight had to be one of the greatest and most horrible nights of her life. Ashley, the girl she'd loved for years, told her what she'd only heard in her dreams. Ashley loved her, she _really _loved her. But not just since middle school like it was for Spencer, but since they were _kids_, and she'd been keeping all of that inside. Spencer shook her head, knowing how painful it must have been for Ashley all those years.

And Spencer knew, if Ashley had never moved away, that no matter what her mother threatened of her, she would've never let go of her best friend. And then, maybe if the fates still called for it down the line, they most likely would've confessed what they felt to each other and see what went from there...But Ashley did leave, and whatever was planned for the both of them was put on hold for those three long years until they showed up in each others lives again.

This was their second chance, and they couldn't just give up now. Spencer wouldn't give up.

Spencer bolted upright, courage and determination welling up inside her furiously. Practically ripping the door off its hinges, she stormed out of her room and leaped down the stairs in search of Ashley.

**(Ashley POV)**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..."

I had been banging my head against the kitchen counter for the past ten minutes when Kyla sat next to me, popping open a carton of ice cream and sliding it over to me. I lifted my head off the counter, instantly being met with a spoon in my face. I grunted, taking the spoon and jabbing it into the ice cream before begrudgingly popping a spoonful into my mouth.

"You look like you just got dumped."

Spoon still firmly in my mouth, I glared up at my sister in annoyance.

"Hey, just saying, Sis," Kyla defends herself, plunging her own spoon into the container. "So...you wanna talk about it?"

"No."

After a second, the container is being pushed away from me and into the hands of Kyla.

"Ashley, talk to me."

I set down the spoon and sighed. Just thinking about what had just happened, made all those feelings rush back again.

"I told her," I whispered, "and made a complete ass of myself. God dammit, Ky, I don't know if we can come back from this."

Kyla's hand is on mine, and take in a shuddering breath.

"Ashley!"

Both of our bodies jolt at the noise.

Kyla's head tilted, scrunching up her face is recognition. "Was that—"

"Spencer," I say, frozen for a second.

Both of us practically dived to the nearest window, prying it open. There on my front lawn, was Spencer standing there, squinting up at me. My heart stops, watching the million drops of rain cascading down her body as if in slow motion. Right then, that's where time seemed to slow in pace, my eyes glued to Spencer's body as she stepped through the soaked grass. Water's streaming perfectly down her face, her head lifted up toward my window as she screamed something else into the freezing rain.

"I love how cute you are when you get nervous!"

Kyla and I only look at each other for less than a second, before bolting out of the kitchen and opening the front door.

"What the hell are you doing?" I screamed as loud as I could over the thunder.

Spencer's head snaps from my window, and she quickly sprints safely toward my porch, but stops suddenly only a few feet from me. She's taking shallow breaths and her chest heaving up and down erratically. Which means she must have ran all the way here. As she stands, her shoulders racked violently against the freezing temperatures of the rain baring down on her.

"I love—I love how your voice sounds on the phone when you miss me," She stuttered, teeth chattering wildly as she spoke. Her arms crossed, hugging herself tightly, as she tried to catch her breath. "I love the way...you move when you dance."

My mind wouldn't allow me to fully take in her words right then, I was too worried to let it. Stepping into the shower of downpour, I took hold of Spencer's hand and lead her toward the porch. "Spencer, get inside! You're going to die out here—!"

Spencer's hand grasps mine tightly, pulling me backwards against her strength.

"Actually, I've never felt more alive!" She screams with the weirdest smile on her face—A smile I hadn't ever seen before that night. I didn't know whether to be concerned or overjoyed.

I watched wordlessly as the unusual smile was cut off short as she lead us further into the rain. Surprisingly warm hands caught my mine, bringing them up between the decreasing space between us.

"I love the way your face glows whenever I hold your hand," She says, softer, leaning in close enough for me to hear it. "God, I'm in love with your smile..."

Wordlessly, I lifted my hands up to cradle her face gently, telling her she didn't need to talk anymore. I honestly didn't know how to think at that moment of knowing what exactly she was trying to tell me through her words. The whole thing felt very dreamlike and surreal, standing there as she said all the things she loved about me.

A slender arm wraps around my waist, pulling me tight against Spencer's drenched body. Another comes to cradle the nape of my neck, furthering the embrace until my cheek rested firmly against hers. Hot breath hits the side of my face; My muscles tense at the familiar sensation.

"I love the way you look at me," She whispers against my ear, absently taking my hand, and holding it up to her chest. The way her heart was beating so fast right then almost made me pull away in concern. "And I love...that when ever you walk into the room, I can't breathe."

I smiled against her cheek, my heart fluttering amazingly at her words, as Spencer pushed us apart just enough to look me dead in the eyes.

"That, is why I love you, Ashley Davies, " She whispered finally, taking in a shuttering breath. My hands lowered to find hers, and blue eyes blinked rapidly, lowering their intense gaze onto my lips.

**(No ones POV)**

Painstakingly slow, Spencer ducks her head down, becoming dangerously close to the other girl's mouth.

Ashley took a shuddering breath.

"What are you—"

Any more words after that were muffled underneath Spencer's fingertip against her lips, silencing her. Blue eyes glittered brightly down at the stunned girl with something she had only witness once years ago. Without thinking any more, Ashley leaned the rest of the distance, and literally smashed their lips together. The taller girl had been surprised at first, but soon melted against the girl's lips, pulling her close again until she could feel the others heartbeat through their clothes.

"_Helloo_! Guys!" Kyla yells in the distance, trying to get the kissing pairs attention. "It _is_ raining, you know? And I'm pretty sure that's a safety hazard in this weather!"

Spencer's head starts to shake underneath Ashley, slowly attemping to break away from the kiss. But Ashley's hand is there, kneading into the collar of her shirt, and forcing their lips against eachother once more. Ashley's sure she could feel teeth biting into her bottom lip, recalling a faraway pain, but didn't care to mind the alternative at all. Minutes later, the two pulled apart, flustered faced and breathing heavily. Hands loosened their lively grips, but the girls still stayed seemingly pressed into one another.

Ashley returns trembling hands to cradle Spencer's face, grinning fondly at her best friend. Spencer, in turn, smiled back, resting a damp forehead to hers. Words weren't needed anymore for the night, and so, the two fell into a peaceful silence as they stood there within the whithering storm around them. And at that moment, they felt the rain stop abruptly, leaving a just rainbow it's wake.

"Okay, break it up, love birds!" Kyla calls out once more. "Now get your cute asses inside!"

* * *

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	21. Chap21: Our final Hour

**Disclaimer: I don't own SON.**

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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Chapter 21: Our Final Hour**

Ashley Davies woke up to the scent of strawberries on her pillow.

Smiling sleepily, the brunette inhaled the delicious fragrance lacing her sheets. Moaning softly, she rolled over to the other side of her bed, and reached out an arm, needing feel Spencer's soft skin next to her. Brown eyes squinted open, only feeling the bed empty of her presence. Ashley shifted onto her back, fearing that last night had only been a dream.

**(Ashley POV)**

_Dee-Dee-Dee, Dee-Dee-Dee._

Snapping out of my thoughts, I glared at the alarm clock. _6:30. _I don't hesitate to hit the snooze button, and throw a pillow over my face. If it had all been just my imagination, there was no way in hell I was going go back to reality any time soon this morning. Or, at least, for another hour. I hear footsteps shuffling down the hall, thudding closer and closer toward my room until stopping at my door. Two loud pounds on the other side soon followed.

"What," I barked from underneath my pillow.

"Are you awake?" She grumbles, groggily from the other side. When hearing no reply from me, the door swings open. "Get up, Davies."

"I don't want to go," I mumbled, begrudgingly lifting my head up from under my pillow. Kyla just snorts, flipping on the light switch. I grunted in annoyance, pulling myself upright, and glared over at her crossed arms.

My sister gives me a half hearted smirk, still much too tired. "Wakey, wakey."

I rubbed my temples, feeling like I was coming off of a hangover. My hand reaches up to touch a dull pain from my bottom lip, feeling the small holes pierced into the skin there. Then, my eyebrows pulled together in confusion, also seeing a pile of wet clothes at the side of my bed. No way.

My eyes snapped up to Kyla's expectant glare. "Kyla, did something..._happen _last night?"

"Yeah, you could say that..." She fights a smile, shrugging at me. With that, Kyla started to leave the room.

I narrowed my eyes, lifting my head with a smile. It hadn't been a dream after all, had it? "What do you mean—"

The door closes. Then, another loud bang on my door ensues moments later. I huffed, rolling my eyes. "Fine, I'm up!"

...

"Took you long enough."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, dropping down beside her at the counter. I'm met with a glass of water from Kyla.

"She told me to make sure you take your pills," She adds softly.

I eye the row of pill bottles with distaste, but popped the lid off the one closest to me. "Thanks, Ky."

She pats my shoulder, telling me she'd be waiting in the car, and left me alone in the kitchen.

One tiny bottle after the other since I woke up. Two times a day, four different types of prescription pills. The blue pills are suppose to keep me from being exhausted most of the time, while the green aid in decreasing my daily headaches and hot flashes. As for the red and white pills, I honestly am too scared to ask the Doctors what they were for. I've only got a few more months of this, then it's smooth sailing from there. All I know, is that it's not the seizures that scares me. It's the place I'm in before I wake up. Every night—_every night_, had been full of nightmares of that day at the carnival. And every time, I'd wake up screaming in Kyla's arms. So, if taking these damn pills twice every day for the next couple of months is what it takes for that to stop, I'll do it.

I tip the bottle, spilling out two small blue capsules into my palm. A second later, I popped the pills into my mouth and swallowed without water. The faster I got this over with, the faster I'd get to school and see Spencer.

...

"They're staring at me," I choked out in annoyance, as we walk up the stairs of King High. "God, it's like my first day back all over again."

"Just ignore them," Kyla whispers.

She reaches for my hand and led me through the obvious stares of the other students. Of course some just walk by—which I was thankful for—but others...All it takes is their eyes catching mine once, and they don't look away. Honestly, it's fucking annoying. I feel like I'm this big side show freak their paying to see at some carnival. I wince at the word. We arrive at my locker. Well, it _was_my locker. This locker is literally decorated with flowers and cards like some shrine. I just stared at the train wreck with clenched fists. Then, Kyla's pulling me along again, to first period. Which, I guess we have together. But knowing Kyla, she probably used sympathy to get us nearly every class together. I love her so much for that.

Walking into the room, I notice that the class has already started. The staring didn't subside obviously, though, this class wasn't huge which I was glad for. Ms. James stops talking to her students and turns to us.

"Ashley," She smiles, instructing her class to start on their group discussions early. She knew that once the room is filled had a reasonable amount of chatter as her students mingled with each other, they'd soon forget about me. Which is why she was now my favorite teacher in the world.

Ms. James sweeps over to us, and leaned in to hug me. "It's great to have to back. How are you feeling?"

"Just peachy, "I chirped back, sarcastically. "I love having people stare at me with pity and decorate my locker like I just died."

The teacher chuckles softly. "Stupid question, my apologies." She directs us to our seats in the far corner at the back of our room.

"When did Spencer leave last night?" I whispered, as Kyla settled down into the desk to my left. I had already accepted last night's events as reality, not just in my head, but I couldn't remember saying goodbye to Spencer last night. Kyla smirks, leaning closer to me, so no one would hear our conversation.

"After you guys came in all hot and heavy, you went up stairs," She whispers back. "She didn't come down until about two hours later." She bumps my shoulder playfully. "She was smiling, Ash, like really big. I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks." I felt myself blush, leaning my head against her shoulder.

"What were you two doing up there anyway?" She asks, after a minute of silence. "I mean, since every thing's out in the open and all. I don't think it's gonna stay PG with you guys anymore—"

"Nothing!" I hissed, my face burning. Kyla's laughing now, and I smacked her arm. "Perv. Jesus Christ."

Kyla continued to snicker to herself. "More like Spencer Carlin, if you ask me."

...

After first period, the need to see Spencer again was growing annoyingly in my chest. As the hours flew by, I noted that we didn't have the first three hours together. It's fourth period now, and I've been on my own since third period. Kyla swindled her way into getting this class with me also, which made me feel better. Class is starting in a few minutes, and I hadn't seen the only person I wanted to see today. The only reason why I even came.

I groaned, hiding my head underneath my crossed arms on top of my desk. After a few seconds, I felt Kyla jab me in the side with something pointed making me nearly squeak. I lifted up my head to her motioning in another direction and turned around. She's there, in the doorway, anxiously looking around the room.

"Spence," I whispered, and I know my face is glowing. Spencer's eyes find mine and she literally beams, walking over to us.

Kyla's snorting in amusement again, and I nudge her side.

"Hey," Spencer greets us brightly, holding an armful of binders against her chest. Her eyes trailed beside me, settling down her things. "Is it okay if I take this seat?"

I only nodded, forgetting how to speak, as she sits down. Ms. James starts wrangling up her kids, clapping at the remaining students still deciding to rudely talk.

"Okay, class is starting guys. Still wanna run home, now's the chance," She announces, jumping to sit on her desk. This rifles a few snickers from some students, just enough to break the ice.

I settled back in my seat, failing to get comfortable. It was then I felt fingers trailing across the skin of my arm, and I turned to look at Spencer. She's sitting there silently, her eyes on the teacher. Of course, she wouldn't want to get us in trouble for PDA or anything, and I understood that. She continues running her fingers across my arm, smiling softly.

"First off, an assembly is going to cut our class time short this morning—"

"Do we have to go?" Madison whines across the room. I forgot how much I missed her squeaky voice. Psych.

"It's mandatory, Miss Duarte," The teacher replied, clearly annoyed as much as everyone else was.

Madison scoffs, crossing her arms. "Why? I mean, she's alive. Big deal. I don't think it's fair to make us all—"

"Miss Duarte!"

Madison's body flinches, snapping her mouth shut.

"I don't have the time or patience. Now, if you have a problem then go to the principal," Ms. James instructed, seeing that the girl wasn't going to speak any time soon. "Alright then. Before we leave, I wanted us to start hearing last semester's projects. Who ever won't be heard today, will be tomorrow, so no faking sick. Who's first?"

Spencer notices my confused expression, leaning to whisper into my ear. "We had to memorize a song from a play or musical, and recite it for the class."

I nodded, noticing a boy I recognized from before I moved raise his hand slowly. His name was Simon, I believe. We weren't that close, but I knew that he wouldn't have presented in front of the class first, on purpose. He must've just wanted it to be over with already, and I don't blame him.

Ms. James smiles, motioning him over. Simon shuffled his way to the front of the room, nearly tripping over someone's bag in the process. By the time he'd reached his spot, he looked extremely nervous, and honestly, like he was seconds away from barfing any moment now. Seriously.

"And what will you be singing for us today?"

"I'm g-going to sing an excerpt from—from Across the Universe," He barely stammered out, breathing heavily. When a couple of snickers broke out in the class, his eyes slammed shut in embarrassment. "It's called, um...It's called, _With A Little Help From My Friends_."

"Interesting choice," The teacher muses."But doesn't that song require more than one performer in singing the versus?"

Simon nods, his fingers gripping his notebook anxiously. "Y-Yes, Ma'am. But I didn't have anyone else, so..."

Ms. James chooses to just let him sing, giving him a polite smile. "It's fine, Simon. Please, when you're ready."

Simon took a shaky breath, keeping his eyes firmly on his notebook. After a minute, he clears his throat and softly sung out the opening lyrics. "_What would you do—do if I...sang outta tune?" _He winces at the literal reality of the words, hearing his voice noticeably off key. But even then, he continued. "_Lend me your ears, a-and I'll sing you a song...and try not—_"

The verse is cut short by a boy a couple of seats from me grumbled "You suck!" out at Simon, followed by obviously fake coughs.

"Zip it, Ephrem," The teacher scolds, nodding for Simon to continue.

Simon's face is definitely a shade paler now, and it breaks my heart. "_Oh, I get by w-with a little help from by friends_."

The flustered teen struggled through more of the song's lyrics, but still had the heart to go on, which I found very brave. I had to admit, the boy had balls.

An idea pops into my head and I smiled, nudging the two girls on either side of me. I leaned down, whispering to both of them softly before lifting my head back up. "You guys in?"

Spencer's quiet for a moment, but soon gives me an agreeing nod, as well as Kyla seconds later. Then we wait or our part. I totally know every song in that movie, being that I'd watched it nearly twenty times. Kyla and Spencer on the other hand, were kind of forced to by me when I had found in on the web a few days after it was released.

_"...H-how do I feel by the end of the day."_

Kyla cleared her throat, leaning on her palms, and singing the next line. "_Are you sad because your all alone?_"

This started the shaking boy at first, but with a little encouraging wave from us, he slowly caught. Simon's face actually got a little color to it then, and he smiled. "_I get by with a little help from my friends_."

Spencer giggles, leaning into my shoulder as we both sung out, "_Do you need anybody?"_

Simon grinned, lowering his notebook to the side. "_I need somebody to love."_

Kyla's trying to stifle herself from laughter, skipping down beside Simon. She starts strutting seductively, running a hand over his chest. "_Could it be anybody?"_

Simon visibly swallows as Kyla kisses his cheek. "_I want somebody to love."_

With a wink, Kyla's running beside Spencer, and both singing out, "_Do you believe at a love at first sight?"_

"_Yeah, I'm certain that it happens all the time," _I sung out, winking at Spencer. She blushes, wiggling her finger for me to come closer, and in turn kisses my cheek.

By now the classroom's practically buzzing with claps and laughter as all three of us sung out, "_What do you see when you turn off the lights_?"

Throwing his notebook aside, Simon laughed. "_I can't tell ya but I know it's mine_."

"_Oh, I get by with alittle help from my friends," _The four of us joined in loudly, carrying out the last word in perfect harmony, before Spencer, Kyla, and I returned to our seats. The rest of the class breaks into mixed applause as Simon took a bow and sat back down.

"Amazingly done guys, just brilliant. Loved the teamwork," Ms. James calls out excitedly, patting Simon on the back. He turns to smile gratefully at us, blushing when all three of us winked playfully and waved.

_..._

I was forced to sit in a small uncomfortable chair right in the middle of the gym surrounded by the entire Junior student body—just to make it that much worse. This whole freak show was based on them wanting me to talk about my accident and let the students ask questions. Which is just wrong, I mean, come on.

Ten minutes had passed, painfully slow, and my eyes were glued to the clock. Our principal, Mr. O'Mally, had just got done running his mouth about something I intentionally failed to pay attention to. The next thing I see is a microphone being shoved in my face. Ugh. Kill me now.

"If anyone has a question for Ashley now, she'll be happy to answer it," He adds, through his own microphone, before sitting down next to me.

Bullshit, I don't even want to be here. I inwardly groaned, snatching the microphone. The principal points to a girl amongst the other handful of hands raised, and he motioned for her to speak.

She asks," What did the doctors have to do? You know, in surgery?"

I narrowed my eyes, leaning forward in my chair. "You sure you guys wanna know? I mean, it's pretty long—"

Before I could finish my sentence, I was interrupted by scattered comments relating to me telling them. I glanced at the principal, who nodded, and shrugged up from the chair. If they were going to make me do this, then I might as well have fun with it. And if someone faints, well, that's just a bonus.

Clearing my throat, I reluctantly made my way closer the audience.

"Well, I got this surgery done, on my brain. It basically took out this part of my brain that caused all of my attacks and seizures. I was still in my coma when they'd done it though, so I have no idea how risky it was. It did require me to do some recovery after I woke up, like talking and walking again."

"Could you hear anything?" Someone murmurs from within the mass group.

"Yeah, it's all a little fuzzy, but I do remember voices," I replied, feeling myself smile at the memory of hearing Spencer's voice in the darkness. I focused my eyes, scanning the crowd until I found Spencer and Kyla's faces. They were sitting at the very top, listeing intently to my speech.

I snapped myself away from them, and removed the scarf around my neck, revealing my scar there. I laughed at the scattered gasps that resulted. Letting my fingers trail over the raised skin of my scar. "The knife, it scraped my vocal chords, like really bad. But they fixed it, so it's all good. Thank god because I'm crap at learning sign language."

Lastly, I pull up my shirt, showing a two inch crescent shaped scar just above my bellybutton. It had faded the most. "This was where I got stabbed, which the doctor's also went through to stop some internal bleeding. I lost riduculous amount of blood, man, and I still have no idea why I survived."

I looked up, past the frozen faces of the students, and to Spencer's face smiling at me. "But, as cool as these scars may seem to you guys. To me, they will always be a constant reminder of the day three months of my life were stolen from me. What happened to me, it's not some big achievement I want to brag about. It was something terrible. All I want to do is move on and start living my life again."

I sighed, ignoring the Principal's disapproving glare burning into my back. "Because they also reminded me that life's really too damn short. We don't have time to hold things back, and be scared...We just don't have time."

My eyes catch a girl and a boy sitting beside each other a couple of rows into the crowd. Curiously, silently observed the two and noticed that everytime she looks away with a smile, he's looking at her in the corner of his eyes, sharing her smile. It reminded of Spencer and I, making me smile as well.

"Like if you've really loved someone for a long time, stop being a pussy, and say it right then, out loud," I tell them, smirking at my profanity. "Don't let that moment pass because you don't know when you'll get another one." Clearing my throat, I gave an awkward wave. "So, thanks guys..."

Mr.O' Mally starts dismissing the students as I tossed down the microphone. Spencer and Kyla are skipping down the steps toward me, and before I can even register it, Spencer's body slams into mine, enfolding me into a tight embrace.

"Love you too," She whispers, and Kyla gags behind us.

"You better," I teased smugly, pressing my lips against hers. I pulled her tighter against me, ignoring the gym loudly erupting in whistles and awes.

* * *

**R&R.**


	22. Chap22 : Finale

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****UPDATE: EDITED.  
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**Chapter 22 :** **The Loneliest Count Down**

**(Ashley POV)**

17 hours. 45 minutes. 32 seconds.

Those numbers have been running through my mind ever since my best friend—my girlfriend now, told me a week ago she was leaving for nearly half a year go participate in some music program miles away. Since then, those numbers have gotten smaller and smaller as the night bloomed into the early morning to come. Unable to sleep once again, I rolled over to look at the clock for the hundredth time that night. The small red numbers flickered annoyingly, reminding me of the countdown once again. It was now 1:15 A.M. Giving up on sleep for the moment, I threw the covers off of me, and trudged down stairs. Once I entered the kitchen, my Mom was there silently sipping hot cocoa. I sit down in the stool across from her.

"Can't sleep?" She smiles, standing to place her mug into the sink. I nodded, laying my head down onto the countertop. Mom comes up to stroke my face, the worry wrinkles becoming more apahrent on her face when she sees the bags under my eyes.

"Oh, honey," She whispers, sitting back down. "Have you not gotten any sleep this week?"

"Spencer's leaving, Mom," I grumbled, my heart sinking just saying it outloud. "Would _you_ get any sleep?"

"Well, you've been best friends since you were kids," She says. I still hadn't told my mom about us yet, which I highly regret now. "It's very normal to worry about her making new—"

"No, Mom, it's not," I stopped, too tired to have this conversation right now. "It's not about her finding new friends or something. It's different."

My mother eyes me suspiciously. "How?"

Lifting my head up, I swallowed the lump in my throat. "It's different because we're—we're together."

My mom just sat there, still not getting what I was trying to say. I groaned in frustration, the awkwardness being too much to handle. "Mom. Spencer and I—me and Spencer—We're dating."

After a second, my mom's eyes widen in realization. "Oh..._Oh._"

"Mom, are you okay with that?" I asked. I touch her hand to make sure she was still breathing, and Mom looked up at me. Her face softened then, seeing my worried expression. She squeezes my hand with glittering eyes that told me she was close to crying. But she was also smiling, so I deduced them to be happy tears. It was then, that she started to go all _my-kids-going-up _on me and I cleared my throat.

"I guess I should've known, huh? I mean, I'm your mom. I should sense these sort of things," She rambles on, chuckling to herself, before realizing she never answered my question. I watched silently as my mother leaned in to kiss my forehead and swept me into her arms.

"I_ love _you, no matter who you like," She whispers, kissing my hair. "And for what it's worth, Spencer's a nice girl. You did good."

"Thanks." I laughed, holding onto my mother tighter. "I love you too."

After a minute, I feel my mother pulling away.

"Alright, time for bed," She says. "Today's a big day for you girls, and you don't want to fall alseep on her do you?"

She pulls me from the counter, and leads us both up the stairs. Once my mother kissed me goodnight, I trudged back to my bedroom. My ming instantly falling back into the lowering numbers of the time I have left. And at that very second, not knowing Spencer was also worried about the dwindling hours marking her departure. Both of us wishing the other were there, holding them tight, and savoring the moment.

After laying in bed for another half hour, I couldn't take the nerves eating at me anymore. I had to call Spencer now, or I'd regret it. Reaching over, I blindly dialed Spencer's number.

**(Spencer POV)**

My phone vibrates beside me on the windowsill, tearing me away from the quiet of my room. I take it into my hand, smiling at Ashley's name on the caller ID. I giggled into the reciever. "Couldn't sleep either huh?"

"You weren't here to help me," She whispers on the other end. My smile fades at the sadness in her voice. "I need you here, Spence..."

You don't know how badly I want to be too. I sighed, leaning my head against the wall. "As _temping_ as that sounds, Ash—"

"So, sneak out and come over," She suggests seriously.

"What? It's nearly two in the morning," I pointed out. "Besides, we'll see eachother later today."

"Spen_cer,_" She huffs, and I can practically hear her pouting. "I just need to see you, you know, feel you."

"Tomorrow, Ash," I whispered, my mind reeling at the feeling of Ashley's lips against hers soon. "Then, you can touch me all you want, I promise."

Fighting the blush that crept on my cheeks, I bit my lip to keep myself grounded. With Ashley saying things like _that_, it was becoming quite difficult to _not_ say whatever hormonal comment that comes to mind. I smiled to myself then, getting an idea. Shifting to the other side of my windowsill, I searched the treeline for Ashley's house which peeked out dramatically.

I focused on her window, seeing that all the lights were off. "Go to your window."

After a second, a small light turns on from inside and Ashley's balcony door opens. Ashley's outlined figure steps into the darkness, and waves at me once our eyes met across the distance. In reality, our houses were almost two whole football fields away from eachother. Even with the distance, I swear I could still see her smiling face.

"I'm really going to miss you," She breathes, eyes still on me.

"I know, Ash," I told her, feeling the frown on my face. Seeing Ashley's figure dissapear behind the door, I stood from the window, and layed back down.

Ashley's quiet for a moment before whispering," I love you, Spence..."

"I love you too," I replied, sinking into my bed's layers of blankets. Ashley hangs up a minute later, and I have to squeeze my eyes shut to keep from crying.

_..._

**(No ones** **POV)**

"Ashley! She'll be here any minute!" Kyla calls out, waiting along with Glen and Jamie at the foot of the stairs.

"Suck it, Woods," Her sister barked back.

Jamie laughed, tipping a Pepsi to her lips, and downing the can in less than a minute. They'd come back a few hours early to surprise the oldest sister, only to find her locked up in her room getting ready for her girlfriend-Which they should totally thank her for, by the way. Now, her Aiden, and Rory were waiting like retards at the foot of the stairs so they could surprise her then. The doorbell rings, and Kyla's eyes widen in panick. Motioning for Glenn to get the door, Kyla leaped up the stairs to get her sister. Aiden and Rory are the next to wonder out of the Davies' kitchen, eyeing all the commotion. Jamie just shakes her head, tossing the can behind her shoulder in frustration.

"Screw this," She mutters, gripping the banister in preparation of flinging herself backwards in a few seconds. "Hurry the fuck up, Davies!"

"You heard her, Babygirl!" Aiden adds, grinning like an idiot. That was when Jami started counting down with her fingers. And when, she hit eight, they heard a door slam. By six, footsteps running near them, and by three, Ashley was darting down the stairs.

"DUDE!" She screams, throwing her arms around them both.

"Good to see you too," Jamie chokes out, quickly breaking from the hug as she struggled to breathe. "But you...gotta stop...with the bear hugs."

Ashley pulled away from them both, hearing Rory clear his throat. That's when Aiden took Rory's hand, guiding him over. "Ashley, this is Rory."

"I finally get to meet your boy Aiden," She giggles, shaking his hand. "It's awesome to meet you, Rory."

Making sure Rory wasn't looking, she turned to Aiden mouthing, "_Hot!_" He smiled, mouthing back, "_I know._"

Glen's yelling out to them now, saying that Spencer was here. Ashley grins, sprinting down the hall towards the door. Spencer was standing there, just smiling silently as Ashley approached her. Spencer giggles, running a hand through her curled blonde hair. Ashley just grinned back, stepping into press a soft kiss against her lips. Soon after, they're met by their friends whistling at them, and Spencer nudges her head into the crook of Ashley's neck embarrassed.

**(Ashley POV)**

We'd all stopped at a local diner just outside of our town, deciding on what to do next. Looking away from Spencer for the first time since we'd sat down, I spot Glen glancing at some kids at the booths across the room. There were about ten of them, dressed in Highland football jerseys and shouting how they kicked King High's ass. Soon after that, they'd been sending constant distgusted looks towards Aiden and Rory, laughing and pointing. Aiden had only put his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, aparhently, that was all it took. Glen cocks his head, eyeing them cautiously as they started throwing the word 'fag' around. Aiden's jaw jets, his temper boiling over as we both recognized one of the boys' voices. Receiving a pleading look from his boyfriend, Aiden shrugged it off, and kissed Rory's forehead.

"Well, boys, look who it is! Didn't know our little Aidy here was a fairy!" The familiar voice taunted. My fist clenches against Spencer's thigh. "Guess the rumors really were true."

By now, both mine and Aiden's eyes were flushed with anger. I glanced to my right, seeing Jay-Jay sliding a pair of brass knuckles over her fingers. I hear two sets of footsteps shuffling toward us; Aiden's nostrils flared in rage, and Spencer's grip on my hand tightens.

They stop just a few feet from our booth, and I hear _him_ scoff. "Awh, the faggots got a little boyfriend."

I grit my teeth, standing up from my place inside the booth. "Peyton!"

His head jerks back, eyes locking with mine. Eyes that I swore I'd never have to look directly into ever again. Peyton Quinnly. Him and Aiden were best friends until Aiden found out about him calling me a fag when he wasn't around. Or, grabbing my ass and knocking down my stuff. One day, for some reason after school, I was going back to grab a book I'd left in my locker while Aiden waited for me in the car. I turned around to Peyton's hands on my mouth as pulled me into a classroom. Peyton was older than the rest of the boys, so he was definitely stronger. He locked the door and shoved me onto the floor. He'd tried, and I had the broken arm to prove it, to rape me. Thankfully, Aiden had been worried about me and went looking for me. He had heard me screaming and found us in time. Before I could understand what was happening, Aiden was wailing on Peyton, putting him in intensive care. He was caught by the principle and suspended for the rest of the semester. We moved back a few weeks after it had happened, and I hadn't seen him again. Until now.

Peyton's eyes flashed. "Should've known you would be close by, Dyke."

Spencer grabs onto my forearm, worriedly, after seeing the glare off a knife in one of the footballers hands.

"She's cute, Davies," He says, smirking his crooked smile." Maybe, I should show her what a real man can do, like I did you—"

_Bang! _The sound shook the walls of the diner, stopping everyone in their spot. Aiden lifted his bleeding hands from the dinted table. His breathing was ragged and heavy as he slipped out of the booth and faced Peyton. I let myself loose of Spencer's grip, jumping over the table and beside Aiden. Glen and JayJay followed.

"Touch either of them, I'll kill you." Looking out of rage filled eyes, Aiden spoke as calmly as he could as we joined on either side of him. "Leave, Peyt. Now."

When Peyton tried to talk again, Aiden grabs onto his collar, lifting his body and shoving him against the wall. Aiden's grip loosens, pushing him off the wall, and into his teammates. Peyton brushed off his ironed jersey, turning to Aiden.

"You couldn't finish it then, what makes now different? You're weak," Peyton spat out, stepping closer." Just like your dad, a pussy ass bitch."

The next thing I saw was Aiden's fist swinging through the air and upper-cutting Peyton in the jaw, along with a couple of forceful jabs to the ribs. Peyton fell to the floor, clutching his chest in pain. It was then that we heard them. Police sirens.

"Cops!"

Jamie imediately grabs Aiden, pulling him toward the back alley, with Kyla and the others soon following. I grab Spencer's hand tightly as we scrambled in their direction, shoving past the milling highschool students. The cops rushed into the diner, grabbing several kids as they tried to escape. Still tring to make out way through the tussling of the kids, Spencer gets grabbed by one of the cops. He quickly pins her arms, trying to put cuffs on her. "Stand still!"

Halfway down the alley, I don't hear Spencer's footsteps behind me. I skipped to a stop, not seeing her behind me. "Aiden! Guys, damnit, stop! Spencer's still in there!"

I'm running again, back into the diner. I weaved through the remaining people until I spotted Spencer being pushed down a table by a cop, in the process of getting handcuffed. Aiden arrives out of nowhere, grabbing the officer's keys and pushed him backwards. When he screams my name, I see him already throwing the keys to me.

"Come on, baby," I whispered, unlocking Spencer's handcuffs. She's still a little shooken up, but still let me get her out of there. Aiden catches up to Spencer and I a couple of blocks away where Jamie's waiting for us while the others got Jamie's SUV.

"You okay?" He sputters, hunched over and struggling to breathe.

I nodded, glancing over at my girlfriend. "Spence?"

She nods, fidgeting with her bruised wrists from the tightness of the handcuffs. "Hope that fat bastard chokes on a doughnut."

Aiden smiled a little, wheezing now. Jamie pulls his arm around her shoulders and led us to the end of the alley where Kyla pulled up with the SUV. Rory, being the only calm person at the moment, drove while Aiden rode shotgun. Jamie rides with Glen and Kyla in the second row, leaving Spence and I in the back seat. Spencer was still a little jaded from the experience so we justed layed back in the seat, resting her head on my chest.

After awhile, we faded out the others voices, listening only to our racing heartbeats.

Spencer's eyes are closed, absently tracing hearts on my palm. "Ash?"

"Hmm?" I hummed against her ear as Spencer turned around to face me.

"This has to be the best going away party ever," She says, seriously, before we both bursted into giggles. This calls ourselves into attention by the rest of the group, and Glen leans over the seat to look down at us. Once he sees what's up, his eyes roll, and he turns around.

"So, Spence, you only have four hours of freedom left," Kyla chimes in beside him. "Where do you wanna go?"

Spencer smiles, kissing my nose. "Let's go home."

For the next couple of hours Spencer and I had left, we just laid in each others arms. Everytime Spencer cuddled her head deeper into my chest, I just wrapped my arms tighter around her waist. And when she started to drift off to sleep, I sang our favorite songs in her ear, and stroked her hair. This continued long after we were dropped off at Spencer's house and it was just us, wrapped up in eachother under her covers. When I started to feel myself succumbing to sleep a few hours later, I pressed my lips against her cheek. A goodnight kiss.

It's funny out of all the times we've spent together, this moment means the most to me. Because it's our crossroards, of what we were and what we're becoming. It's moments like this that we realize that this moment is the one you've only dreamed of. When everything becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and that person you love so much it makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Because you realize that you've found them, and want only them for the rest of your life. You don't regret a single day you spent with them...Your just damn grateful you had the chance. I wouldn't trade my time with Spencer for the world.

"...love you, Spence," I whispered, eyes half-lidded, and already melting into her side. She stirrs in her sleep then, turning around to kiss me sleepily. An "I love you too" is murmured against the skin of my neck before the room is silent again.

...

I wake up to my phone vibrating, buzzing loudly against Spencer's bedside table. I leaned over slowly, in hopes of not waking the slumbering girl next to me, and flipped the phone open.

"Yeah? Wait, slow down. What's wrong?" I gently untangled myself from Spencer's grasp, and standing up. "Oh, my god. Okay, I'll be right there."

Hands shaking, I swirled back around to see Spencer rubbing her eyes tiredly. I quickly knelt down infront of the half awake girl, ignoring my trembling lip and blurred vision. "Hey baby...how'd you sleep?"

Spencer doesn't answer, reaching out to touch my face. "What happened?"

"Kyla called, Spence, and," I paused, my hand covering my mouth to keep it from quivering. "Jamie's in the hospital. They found her car wrapped around a pole. They're taking her into surgery now, but I can't just—"

"Ashley," Spencer stops me, grabbing her coat, and following me to the door."Calm down, I'll go with you, just hold on—"

"What? No, your plane leaves in a few hours," I muttered, and my face falls. "Oh god, Spence, your flight. Shit."

"I'll just take a later flight—"

"No, you go. I'll go check on JayJay," I tell her, turning around to take her hands in mine. "After that, I'll steal a freaking plane to get there if I have to, but I _will_ be there."

"But what if something—"

"I'll be there, Spence. I promise," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her tightly. I tighten my grip around her waist, and kissed her, knowing that they were numbered now. "Becuase there's no way in hell you're getting on that plane without me kissing you goodbye."

She smiled, letting me go as I opened the door. With one last look at my best friend, I turned and raced down the stairs, and out of the house. _I'll be there._

**THE END...FOR NOW.**


End file.
